Some  Artists  at  the  Fair 

Frank  D.   Millet        J.   A.   Mitchell 
Will  H.   Low  W.   Hamilton  Gibson 

F.   Hopkinson  Smith 


Mor>»W 


New  York 

Charles  Scribner's   Sons 

1893 


SOME   ARTISTS   AT  THE   FAIR 


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in  2011  with  funding  from 

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THE   COURT   OF    HONOR-DOME    OF   ADMINISTRATION    BUILDING. 


SOME  ARTISTS  AT  THE  FAIR 


FRANK   D.   MILLET  J.    A.    MITCHELL 

WILL   H.    LOW  W.   HAMILTON   GIBSON 

F.   HOPKINSON    SMITH  W 


NEW    YORK 

CHARLES    SCRIBNER'S    SONS 

1893 


♦BOSTON  COLLEGE  LIBRARV 
.CU&STNUT  H1LL»  MASS. 


Copyright,  1S93,  by 
CHARLES  SCRIBNER'S   SONS 


TROW   DIRECTORY 
PRINTING  AND   BOOKBINDING  COMPANY 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

THE  DECORATION  OF   THE  EXPOSITION,         .        .        .  / 

TYPES  AND  PEOPLE  AT   THE  FAIR,         .        ...  43 

THE  ART  OF   THE  WHITE  CITY, 59 

FOREGROUND  AND   yiSTA  AT   THE  FAIR,      .        .        .  81 

THE  PICTURESQUE  SIDE, .  100 


LIST   OF   ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

The  Court  of  Honor — Dome  of  Administration  Building,  Frontispiece 
Riders  of  Winged  Horses,  from    IF.  L.  Dodge' s  Decoration  in  the 

Administration  Building,  ......  i 

Figure  Emblematic  of  the   Textile  Arts,  by  Robert  Reid,  in  one  of 

the  Domes  of  the  Manufactures  Building,  ....  3 

Allegorical  Figure  of  ^^  JVeedle-work,"  by  J.  Alden    Weir,  in  one  of 

the  Domes  of  the  Manufactures  Building,  ....  7 

^^  Forging,''  Figure  by  E.  F.   Simmons,  in    the  Dome  of  the  East 

Portal,  Manufactures  Building,  .  .  .  .  .  .  11 

"Musicians,"  Fragment  from  the  Procession,  by    W.  L.  Dodge,  in. 

the  Dome  of  the  Administration  Building,  .  .  .  14 

"  Ceramic  Painting,'''  by    Kenyan    Cox.    in   a    Donie    of  the   East 

Portal,  Manufactures  Building,  .  .         .         .         .         .  15 

"  Autumn,"  Panel  by   G.  IV.  Maynard,  in  the  Agricultural  Build- 

i'ig, 18 

^^  Pearl,"  by   Walter  Shir  law,    in  a  Dome  of  the   North   Portal, 

Manufactures  Building,        .  .  .  .  .  .  .  19 

"  The   Telephone,"  by  J.  Carroll  Beckwith,  in  a  Dome  of  the  North 

Portal,  Manufactures  Building,  ......  23 

"  Decoration"  Figure  by   C.  S,  Rein  hart,         .  .         .  .  .29 


LIST  OF  1LLUSTRA710NS 


"  The  Armorers  Craft"  one  of  Four  Figures  by  E  11.  Blashfield, 
Representing  the  Arts  of  Metal  Wo  rising., 

Female  Figure  from    IV.   L.  Dodge  s  Decoration    in.  the  Adminis- 
tration Building,  ........ 

Banner  Adopted  from  the  Standard  of  Spain  under  Ferdi/iand  and 
Isabella,        ......... 

Banner  Adopted  from  the  Expeditionary  Flag  of  Columbus, 

Trying  to  Get  the  Better  of  the  Native,        .... 

Fakirs,  .......... 

A  Bride  and  Groom,  ....... 

Wheeled  About  at  Seventy-five   Cents  per  Hour,     . 

The  Question  of  Finance,       ....... 

Cafe  in  the  Midway  Flaisance,      ...... 

Lighting  the  Natural  Gas   Torches  on  the  Roof   of  the  Adminis- 
tration Building,  ........ 

At  Night  on  the  Midway  Flaisance,     ...... 

Indian  Girl  and  Bull,  Modelled  by  French  &  Potter, 

German  Building,  ......... 

Central  Portion  of  MacMonnies  Fountain — Effect  of  Electric  Light, 

The  Border  of  the  Lagoon,  ...... 

A   Bit  of  the  Calif ornian  Building,       ..... 

TJie   Californian  Building,     ....... 

A    Cove  in    Wooded  Island,  ...... 

The  Edge  of  the  Rose   Garden,  Wooded  Island, 

Japanese  Building  on   Wooded  Island,   ..... 

An  Aged  Japanese  Dwarf,    One  Hundred  Years  Old — A    Cornei 
of  the  Horticultural  Building,  .... 


37 

39 
39 
45 

47 

52 
54 
56 
57 

61 

64 

65 
66 

73 
84 
86 

87 
88 

9t 
92 

92, 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 


Portal  of  the  Fisheries  Buiidiiig,  ...... 

Flkhor/t  Fern,  a  Suggestion  for  an  AreJiitect — In    the  Australian 
Exhibit,  Horticultural  Hall,        .... 

The  Peristyle,  ........ 

Distant   JYezc  of  Dome  of  the  Horticultural  Building, 

Dome  of  Horticultural  Building  at  Night, 

In   Old  Vienna,      ........ 

Alosqu-e  of  the  Sultan  Selim,         ..... 

'■'' Far-away  Moses,'"         ....... 

Doorivay  of  the    Transportation  Building, 

In   Cairo  Street,     ........ 


PAGE 

95 


97 
102 
103 
106 
107 
III 
114 
116 
119 


(^Upel"i'^ 


RIDERS   OF   WINGED   HORSES,  FROM   W.    L.    DODGE'S   DECORATION    IN    THE 
ADMINISTRATION   BUILDING. 


THE   DECORATION  OF  THE  EXPOSITION 


By  F.  D.  Millet 

THE  grand  style,  the  perfect  proportions,  and 
the  magnificent  dimensions  of  the  buildings  of 
the  World's  Columbian  Exposition,  excite  a 
twofold  sentiment  in  the  mind  of  the  visitor — wonder 
and  admiration  at  the  beauties  of  the  edifices,  and 
regret  and  disappointment  that  they  are  not  to  re- 
main as  monuments  to  the  good  taste,  knowledge, 
and  skill  of  the  men  who  built  them,  and  as  a  per- 


2  SOME   ARTISTS  AT  THE   FAIR 

manent  memorial  of  the  event  which  the  Exposition 
is  intended  to  celebrate.  This  complex  feeling  is  a 
natural  one,  and  is  perfectly  comprehensible  in  the 
presence  of  the  noble  porticos  and  colonnades,  the 
graceful  towers,  superb  domes,  and  imposing  fa- 
cades. Previous  exhibitions,  with  the  possible  excep- 
tion of  that  in  Vienna  in  1873,  have  been  confess- 
edly ephemeral  in  the  character  of  their  construction, 
and  have  shown  a  distinctly  playful  and  festal  style 
of  architecture,  with  little  attempt  at  seriousness  or 
dignity  of  design.  The  monumental  character  of 
the  group  of  Exposition  buildings  in  Chicago  is  not 
the  result  of  accident,  but  of  deliberate  forethought 
and  wise  judgment. 

In  the  heat  of  the  fever  of  construction,  which 
has  spread  like  a  contagion  from  the  rocks  of  Mount 
Desert  to  the  white  sands  of  the  Pacific  coast,  a  new 
race  of  architects  has  sprung  up,  fertile  in  resources 
and  clever  in  execution,  but  with  little  well- 
grounded  knowledge  of  the  real  principles  of  their 
art.  Beofinnino-  with  the  bulbous  cono-lomerations 
of  material  which  have  been  forced  upon  a  long- 
suffering  public  by  the  Government  architects,  and 
ending  with  consciously  picturesque  structures  that 
hint  more  of  the  terrors  of  mediaeval  dungeons  than 
of  the  comforts  of  domestic  life,  and  bear  the  title 
of  villa  but  the  aspect  of  military  strongholds,  the 
architecture  of  the  past  two  decades  has,  with  some 


I  ,     li'   ,  <\,„\  ,i|ii !  ,1'iiiiiiiiiiiiii iiiiiililiiiiiiili'iliiPiii 


FIGURE   EMBLEMATIC    OF    THE    TEXTILE   ARTS,  BY   ROBERT    REID,  IN    ONE    OF    THE    DOMES 
OF    THE    MANUFACTURES    BUILDING. 


THE  DECORATION  OF   THE   EXPOSITION  5 

notable  exceptions,  been  distinguished  by  increas- 
ing ingenuity  in  imitation  rather  than  the  develop- 
ment of  skill  in  adaptation.  It  would  be  worse  than 
foolish  to  demand  that  an  architect  should  be  thor- 
oughly original,  as  it  would  be  to  ask  an  artist  to  cut 
loose  from  all  the  proven  principles  and  traditions  of 
his  profession,  and  invent  an  entirely  new  meth- 
od and  a  novel  system.  What  may  be  reasonably 
asked  of  an  architect  is  that  he  have  an  individual 
point  of  view,  and  modernize  the  adaptation  of  old 
principles  without  disturbing  the  real  spirit  of  the 
same  ;  that  he  develop  and  extend  these  principles 
to  meet  the  requirements  of  modern  life ;  that,  in 
fact,  he  work  as  nearly  as  possible  in  the  same  direc- 
tion that  the  masters  of  ancient  architecture  would 
have  done  if  they  had  been  dealing  with  modern 
problems  of  design,  plan,  and  construction.  There 
are  certain  immutable  laws  of  harmony  and  propor- 
tion which  have  always  governed  and  will  always 
rule  in  architecture  as  in  art,  and  though  they  are 
disregarded  and  tampered  with  for  the  sake  of  nov- 
elty and  so-called  originality,  this  faithlessness  al- 
ways meets  its  just  punishment  in  the  result.  The 
majority  of  modern  architects  have,  in  these  days  of 
abundant  photographs,  models,  and  measurements, 
been  led  to  cater  to  the  vanity  of  half-educated 
clients,  and  have  engrafted  French  chateaux  on  Ro- 
manesque palaces,  have    invented  wonderfully  in- 


6  SOME   ARTISTS  AT  THE   FAIR 

genious  but  viciously  hybrid  combinations,  one  of 
which  has  been  aptly  described  as  "  Queen  Anne  in 
front  and  Mary  Ann  in  the  back."  The  precept  and 
example  of  the  scholarly  men  in  the  profession  have 
been  powerless  to  stem  this  tide  of  ill-considered  de- 
sign, and  nothing  short  of  gradual  regeneration  and 
slow  revulsion  of  sentiment  against  this  tendency 
has  been  hoped  for  until  the  present  year. 

Mr.  D.  H.  Burnham,  the  Director  of  Works  of 
the  World's  Columbian  Exposition,  took  the  first 
important  step  toward  the  renaissance  of  the  true 
spirit  of  architecture  in  this  country  by  ignoring  all 
precedents  of  competition,  and  selecting  as  asso- 
ciates certain  architects  and  firms  whose  records 
established  their  position  as  true  leaders  of  the  pro- 
fession. These  architects,  after  studious  contempla- 
tion of  the  situation,  decided  on  the  adoption  of  a 
general  classical  style  for  the  buildings,  subject,  of 
course,  to  such  modifications  as  were  found  neces- 
sary by  the  requirements  of  each  individual  case. 
The  result  is  a  satisfactory  and  sufficient  proof  of 
the  wisdom  of  Mr.  Burnham's  action,  and  there  is 
now  before  the  country  a  more  extensive  and  in- 
structive object-lesson  in  architecture  than  has  ever 
been  presented  to  any  generation  in  any  country 
since  the  most  flourishing  period  of  architectural 
effort  The  educational  importance  of  this  feature 
of  the  great  Exposition   can   scarcely  be  over-esti- 


ALLEGORICAL   FIGURE    OF    "  NEEDLE-WORK,       BY   J.  ALDEN    WEIR,  IN    ONE   OF   THE   DOMES 
OF    THE    MANUFACTURES    BUILDING. 


THE   DECORATION  OE   THE  EXPOSITION  9 

mated,  and  its  salutary  influence  on  the  future  ar- 
chitecture of  this  country  can  be  prophesied  with 
absolute  certainty.  The  scheme  has  not  been  con- 
sidered complete,  however,  nor  the  lesson  properly 
emphasized,  without  the  necessary  adjuncts  of  the 
two  arts  so  closely  allied  to  architecture,  sculpture 
and  painting,  both  of  which  have  been  drawn  upon 
with  freedom  and  good  judgment  to  supplement 
and  enrich  the  architectural  features.  Sculpture  has 
been  employed  far  more  extensively  than  its  sister 
art,  for  the  very  good  reason  that  few  of  the  build- 
ings have  been  constructed  with  any  intention  of 
carrying  the  interiors  to  any  high  degree  of  finish. 
It  would  have  been  impracticable,  under  the  circum- 
stances, to  bring  the  interiors  up  to  the  same  per- 
fection as  the  exteriors,  even  with  the  cheapest  ma- 
terial, for  it  would  have  added  an  enormous  per 
cent,  to  the  cost  of  construction.  The  architects 
have,  therefore,  in  most  cases  frankly  accepted  the 
situation  and  confined  their  efforts  at  embellishment 
to  the  fac^ades,  considering  the  buildings  simply  as 
great  sketches  of  possible  permanent  structures,  con- 
fessedly utilitarian  as  to  the  interior,  but  as  sump- 
tuous and  suggestive  in  exterior  treatment  as  the 
conditions  permitted.  Indeed,  this  was  the  only 
reasonable  view  to  take,  both  because  of  the  enor- 
mous size  of  the  buildings  and  the  complex  uses  for 
which  they  are  intended.     The  exhibits  themselves 


10  SOME  ARTISTS  AT  THE  FAIR 

are  necessarily  such  prominent  features  of  the  in- 
teriors that  they  only  need  a  background  of  more  or 
less  simple  character  to  complete,  with  the  elaborate 
installation  which  is  being  carried  on,  quite  as  agree- 
able a  decoration  scheme  as  might  be  reasonably 
expected  on  such  an  enormous  scale. 

Without  going  into  details  of  construction,  it  is 
proper  to  call  attention  to  one  feature  of  the  in- 
teriors, notably  of  the  Machinery  and  Manufactures 
and  Liberal  Arts  buildings,  where  the  architect  and 
the  engineer  have  joined  forces  and  produced  a  re- 
sult far  ahead  of  anything  before  accomplished.  I 
refer  to  the  wonderfully  beautiful  iron-work  of  these 
buildings,  which  satisfies  to  an  eminent  degree  both 
the  utilitarian  and  aesthetic  requirements.  Mr.  C.  B. 
Atwood,  Designer  in  Chief,  co-operated  with  Mr.  E. 
C.  Shankland,  Chief  Engineer,  in  working  out  a  plan 
of  construction  of  the  immense  trusses  with  the  con- 
necting girders,  purlins,  and  braces,  which  has  been 
carried  out  in  great  perfection.  The  ugly  forms  of 
ordinary  bridge-builders'  construction,  which  have 
hitherto  been  endured  as  necessary  for  rigidity  and 
strength,  have  been  largely  eliminated,  and  graceful 
curves,  well-balanced  proportions,  and  harmonious 
lines  unite  to  make  the  iron-work,  beautiful  in  it- 
self, a  distinctly  ornamental  feature  of  the  interiors. 
Thus,  without  flourish  of  trumpets,  a  great  advance 
has  been   made,   and   the  great  truth  promulgated 


I       I 


^  ~^^J>f'^f*^f^^ 


"FORGING,"  FIGURE    BY   E.   E.   SIMMONS,  IN    THE    DOME    OF    THE    EAST 
PORTAL,    MANUFACTURES   BUILDING. 


THE   DECORATION  OF   THE    EXPOSITION  13 

that  the  useful  may  be  beautiful  even  in  engineer- 
ino-.  Paintino-  of  an  artistic  character  has  been  con- 
fined  for  the  most  part  to  a  few  domes  and  panels  in 
various  pavilions,  to  wall  spaces  under  colonnades 
and  porticos,  and  to  the  two  or  three  interiors  in 
which  there  is  sufficiently  high  finish  to  permit  of 
mural  decoration. 

The  Administration  Building,  by  Mr.  Richard 
M.  Hunt,  which  was  built  for  the  uses  of  the 
World's  Columbian  Commission  with  the  numerous 
branches  of  its  executive  force,  is  the  real  focus  of 
the  group  of  buildings,  not  only  from  its  position  in 
the  centre  of  a  grand  plaza  of  enormous  extent^  but 
on  account  of  its  monumental  character.  The  por- 
tals and  the  angles  of  this  building  are  adorned  with 
groups  of  sculpture  by  Mr.  Carl  Bitter,  of  New  York, 
and  spandrels  and  panels,  both  outside  and  inside, 
are  enriched  by  designs  by  the  same  sculptor.  The 
dome,  which  is  two  hundred  and  sixty-five  feet  high, 
is  truncated  at  the  top  and  is  lighted  by  a  great  eye 
forty  feet  in  diameter.  The  interior  of  this  dome 
around  the  great  eye,  a  surface  of  the  approximate 
dimensions  of  35X300  feet,  is  to  be  covered  with  a 
figure  composition  painted  by  Mr.  W.  L.  Dodge, 
representing  in  general  terms  the  figure  of  a  god  on 
a  high  Olympian  throne  crowning  with  wreaths  of 
laurel  the  representatives  of  the  arts  and  sciences, 
and    flanked   by  figures  of  Agriculture,  Commerce, 


14 


SOME  ARTISTS  AT  THE   FAIR 


and  Peace.     A  Greek  canopy,   supported  by  flying 
female   figures,  contrasts   agreeably   with    the  clear 

blue  of  the  sky 
backgro  u  n  d, 
against  which  the 
principal  groups 
are  shown  in 
strong  relief. 
Three  winged 
horses  drawing 
a  vehicle  with  a 
model  of  the  Par- 
thenon, troops  of 
warriors  cheer- 
ing the  victors  in 
the  peaceful  strife 
of  the  arts,  and  a 
wealth  of  minor 
figures,  make  up 
the  composition, 
which  is  bold  and 
imposing  not  on- 
ly in  magnitude 
but  in  line.  The 
interior  walls  of  the  great  Rotunda  are  tinted  so 
as  to  give  the  effects  of  colored  marbles  and  mosa- 
ics and  under  the  outside  the  massive  white  Doric 
columns   have  a  background  of  Pompeian  richness 


MUSICIANS,  '  FRAGMENT  FROM  THE  PROCESSION,  BY  W. 
L.  DODGE,  IN  THE  DOME  OF  THE  ADMINISTRATION 
BUILDING. 


CERAMIC    PAINTING,"    BY    KENYON    COX,    IN    A    DOME    OF    THE    EAST    PORTAL, 
MANUFACTURES    BUILDING. 


(From  an  unfinished  sketch.) 


THE   DECORATION  OF   THE   EXPOSITION  17 

of  tone.  With  the  exception  of  Mr.  Dodge's  com- 
position in  the  Administration  Building,  neither 
of  the  other  buildings  fronting  on  the  grand  plaza 
has  any  purely  artistic  decoration,  although  the 
hemicycle  and  portions  of  the  Electricity  Build- 
ing, and  the  extensive  arcades  of  the  Machinery 
Building,  are  all  treated  with  flat  colors  to  sup- 
plement this  architectural  ornament,  the  former  by 
Mr.  Maitland  Armstrong,  the  latter  by  Mr.  E.  E. 
Garnsey,  of  F.  J.  Sarmiento  &  Co.  Across  the  south 
canal,  however,  a  blaze  of  richly  colored  panels 
in  the  pavilions  of  the  Agricultural  Building,  with 
here  and  there  a  figure  of  an  animal  half  hidden  by 
the  superb  Corinthian  columns,  shows  where  Mr.  G. 
W.  Maynard  and  his  assistant,  Mr.  H.  T.  Schlader- 
mundt,  have  converted,  by  the  magic  of  their  art,  the 
uninteresting  plaster  surfaces  into  a  series  of  elabo- 
rate pictures.  This  decoration  has  been  planned 
with  great  attention  to  the  appropriate  character  of 
its  individual  features.  There  are  two  pavilions  at 
either  end  of  the  building,  with  a  large  doorway 
breaking  the  wall  into  two  panels,  each  one  of  which 
has  a  dado  of  elaborate  ornament,  a  narrow  border 
of  conventionalized  Indian  corn  on  each  side,  and 
great  garlands  of  fruit  on  top  framing  an  oblong 
rectangle  of  rich  Pompeian  red  with  a  colossal  fe- 
male fiofure  of  one  of  the  seasons.  Above  the  two 
panels,  and  connecting  them  by  a  band  of  color,  is 

2 


18 


SOME   ARTISTS  AT  THE   FAIR 


a  frieze  with  rearing  horses,  bulls,  oxen  drawing  a 
cart  of  ancient  form,  and  other  small  groups  of  agri- 
cultural   subjects 


The  focus  of  the 
decorative  scheme 
is  naturally  at  the 
main  portico,  the 
entrance  to  the 
Rotunda,  called 
the  Temple  of 
Ceres,  with  the 
statue  of  the  orod- 
dess  in  the  mys- 
terious twilight  of 
the  graceful  and 
impressive  inte- 
rior. The  portico 
is  treated  on  much 
the  same  plan  as 
the  side  pavilions, 
but  as  it  provides 
a  much  greater 
area  of  wall  sur- 
face, Mr.  Maynard . 
has  been  able  to 
introduce  a  richer 
combination  of  colors  and  a  greater  variety  of  fig- 
ures.    "  Abundance  "   and   "  Fertilitv,"   two   colossal 


"AUTUMN,"    PANEL    BY    G.    \V.    MAYNARD,    IN    THE 
AGRICULTURAL    BUILDING. 


mmam 


"  PEARL,"  BY    WALTER    SHIRLAW,  IN    A    DOME    OF    THE    NORTH    PORTAL, 
MANUFACTURES    BUILDING. 


THE  DECORATION  OF   THE   EXPOSITION  21 

female  figures,  occupy,  with  the  richly  ornamented 
borders,  great  flat  niches  on  either  side  of  the  en- 
trance, and  are  flanked  in  turn  on  the  side-walls  by 
the  figure  of  King  Triptolemus,  the  fabled  inventor 
of  the  plough,  and  the  goddess  Cybele,  symbolical 
of  the  fertility  of  the  earth,  the  one  in  a  chariot 
drawn  by  dragons,  the  other  leading  a  pair  of  lions. 
These  figures,  as  well  as  those  in  the  four  porticos, 
are  treated  in  a  broad,  simple  manner,  so  that  they 
carry  perfectly  to  a  great  distance  and  at  the  same 
time  lose  nothing  by  close  inspection. 

The  sumptuousness  of  the  color  decoration  is 
balanced  by  the  lavish  abundance  of  sculpture  work 
which  fills  the  pediments  and  crowns  the  piers  and 
pylons,  and,  in  general  terms,  the  main  features  of 
the  fagades.  The  main  pediment  is  by  Mr.  Larkin 
G.  Mead ;  and  the  other  statues — figures  of  abun- 
dance with  cornucopiae,  a  series  of  graceful  maidens 
holding  signs  of  the  Zodiac,  groups  of  four  females 
representing  the  quarters  of  the  globe  supporting  a 
horoscope,  and  various  colossal  agricultural  animals 
— are  all  by  the  hand  of  Mr.  Philip  Martiny,  who 
joins  Mr.  Olin  L.  Warner  in  supplementing  the  ar- 
chitectural ornamentation  of  the  Art  Building  with 
various  figures  and  bas-reliefs.  Dominating  the 
grand  outlines  of  the  edifice,  perched  high  on  the 
flat  dome,  is  the  gilded  figure  of  Diana,  by  Mr.  Au- 
gustus  St.    Gaudens,   familiar   as    the  finial    of  the 


22  SOME  ARTISTS  AT  THE  FAIR 

tower  of  the  Madison  Square  Garden  in  New  York, 
a  fitting  apex  of  the  monumental  structure. 

The  north  front  of  the  Agricultural  Building, 
with  the  Peristyle  and  the  south  fagade  of  the  Manu- 
factures and  Liberal  Arts  Building,  form  a  grand 
court  of  honor,  so  to  speak,  facing  the  Administra- 
tion Building,  which  may  be  appropriately  termed 
the  Gateway  of  the  Exhibition,  for  it  rises  directly  in 
front  of  the  Terminal  Station,  a  building  of  vast  pro- 
portions and  noble  aspect,  designed  to  accommodate 
the  thousands  of  visitors  who  reach  the  Fair  by  the 
numerous  lines  of  railways  concentrated  at  this 
point.  Six  rostral  columns,  surmounted  by  a  figure 
of  Neptune,  by  Mr.  Johannes  Gelert,  accent  this 
court  at  different  points.  Mr.  Frederick  MacMon- 
nies's  fin-de-siecle  colossal  fountain  fills  the  west 
end  of  the  basin  with  a  busy  group  of  symbolical 
figures  and  a  flood  of  rushing  water.  Opposite,  at 
the  east  end  of  the  glittering  sheet  of  water  which 
reflects  the  architectural  glories  of  the  colonnades, 
the  dignified,  simple  statue  of  the  Republic,  by  Mr. 
D.  C.  French,  towers  high  in  air,  relieved  against  the 
beautiful  screen  of  the  Peristyle,  with  its  forest  of 
columns  showing  clear  cut  against  the  blue  waters 
of  the  lake.  Every  column  and  every  pier  of  the 
Peristyle  has  its  crowning  figure,  the  work  of  Mr. 
Theodore  Baur,  and  the  great  central  arch,  or 
Water-Gate  supports  a  colossal  Quadriga  executed 


,/ 


/ 


THE   TELEPHONE,      BY  J.  CARROLL   BECKWITH,  IN   A   DOME   OF   THE   NORTH   PORTAL, 

MANUFACTURES    BUILDING. 


THE  DECORATION  OF   THE   EXPOSITION  25 

by  Mr.  D.  C.  French  and  Mr.  Edward  C.  Potter,  the 
former  undertaking  the  figure  work,  and  the  latter 
the  horses.  Two  pair  of  horses,  led  by  classical  fe- 
male figures,  draw  a  high  chariot  with  a  male  figure 
symbolizing  the  spirit  of  discovery  of  the  fifteenth 
century,  and  pages  on  horseback  flank  the  chariot  on 
either  side,  enriching  the  composition  so  that  it  pre- 
sents a  well-sustained  mass  from  every  possible 
point  of  view.  This  group  is  an  achievement  well 
worthy  of  its  situation  as  the  dominating  embellish- 
ment of  the  great  court  with  its  wealth  of  sculpture 
and  ornament. 

The  terraces  afford  another  inviting  field  for 
open-air  decoration.  Numerous  pedestals  have 
tempted  the  skill  of  the  sculptors  of  the  Quadriga  to 
produce  distinguished  types  of  the  horse  and  the 
bull,  and  formal  antique  vases  on  the  balustrade  and 
reproductions  of  the  masterpieces  of  ancient  statuary 
break  the  long  lines  of  parapet  and  greensward.  The 
graceful  bridges  spanning  the  canals  are  guarded  by 
sculptured  wild  animals  native  of  the  United  States, 
part  of  them  by  Mr.  Edward  Kemeys,  others  by  Mr. 
A.  P.  Proctor,  in  appropriate  contrast  to  the  classical- 
ity  of  their  surroundings  and  suggesting  future  pos- 
sibilities in  sculpture  inspired  by  similar  motives. 
The  eye  cannot  take  in  at  a  glance  the  sumptuous 
beauties  of  this  grand  court,  even  in  its  ragged  state 
of  partial  finish,  but  roves   from  statue  to  column. 


26  SOME  ARTISTS  AT  THE   FAIR 

portal  to  terrace,  resting  agreeably  on  broad  masses 
of  rich  color  and  on  the  gleaming  reflections  in  the 
basin.  Imagination  can  scarcely  picture  the  scene 
with  the  addition  of  the  festal  features  of  fluttering 
banners,  rich  awnings,  gayly  decorated  craft  giving 
life  and  movement  to  the  water  front,  and  every- 
where the  crowd  of  visitors  all  on  recreation  bent. 

The  casual  observer  might  well  be  pardoned 
for  failing  at  first  to  mark  how  the  grand  pavilions 
and  porticos  of  the  Manufactures  and  Liberal  Arts 
Building  are  accented  by  frequent  spaces  covered 
with  artistic  decoration.  In  each  of  the  four  corner 
pavilions  there  are  two  tympana,  those  on  the  south 
side  havino-  been  oiven  to  Mr.  Gari  Melchers  and 
Mr.  Walter  MacEwen  to  fill  with  a  decorative  de- 
sis^n.  Both  these  artists  have  made  elaborate  com- 
positions  representing,  in  general  terms,  "Music" 
and  "Manufactures"  and  "The  Arts  of  Peace,"  and 
"  The  Chase  and  the  Manufacture  of  Weapons,"  re- 
spectively. 

In  the  foreground  of  "  Music,"  at  the  left,  a 
group  of  Satyrs  pipes  to  a  dancing  cluster  around 
the  Muse  Euterpe,  and  with  various  other  person- 
ages make  up  a  composition  of  great  distinction  of 
live  and  skilful  arrangement.  The  second  panel, 
which  illustrates  manufactures  or  textiles,  is  equally 
rich  in  groups,  and  in  the  background  of  both  com- 
positions is  continued  a  procession  in  the  honor  of 


THE   DECORATION  OF   THE   EXPOSITION  27 

Pallas  Athena,  who  was  credited  by  the  Greeks  with 
the  invention  of  spinning.  The  general  color  gamut 
is  light  with  an  intricate  harmony  of  delicate  tones. 
The  procession  is  silhouetted  in  bluish  tones  against 
a  warm  sky  with  the  colors  of  early  evening,  the 
golden  reflections  touching  the  figures  with  beauti- 
ful lines  of  licrht.  Mr.  Melchers  has  followed  out 
much  the  same  general  plan  of  color  in  a  varied  but 
well-sustained  composition,  so  that  the  four  tympana 
make,  in  a  sense,  a  series  of  harmonious  pictures. 

The  four  grand  central  portals  of  the  Manufact- 
ures and  Liberal  Arts  Building  recall  triumphant 
arches  of  Roman  times.  Each  of  these  portals  has 
a  lofty  central  entrance  with  rich  bas-reliefs  by  Mr. 
Bitter  and  smaller  side  arches  under  pendentive 
domes.  These  eight  domes  have  been  filled  with 
figure  decorations,  each  by  a  different  artist.  Those 
on  the  south  front  of  the  building  have  been  painted 
by  Mr.  J.  Alden  Weir  and  Mr.  Robert  Reid,  who, 
with  distinctly  individual  compositions,  have  har- 
monized their  designs  in  a  remarkably  agreeable 
and  skilful  manner.  Mr.  Weir  has  chosen  alleo^ori- 
cal  female  figures  of  "  Decorative  Art,"  "  The  Art 
of  Painting,"  "Goldsmith's  Art,"  and  the  "Art  of 
Pottery."  Each  of  these  figures  is  seated  on  a  bal- 
ustrade and  is  relieved  against  a  sky  of  pale  broken 
blue  tones.  Flying  draperies  and  capitals  of  four 
orders  of  architecture  serve  to  connect  the  lines  of 


28  SOME  ARTISTS  AT  THE   FAIR 

the  composition,  which  is  further  enriched  by  a  cu- 
pid  holding  a  tablet  inscribed  with  the  different  arts 
and  decorated  with  a  wreath.  The  figures  are  large 
and  simple  in  line,  and  the  general  scheme  of  color 
is  pale  blue  varied  with  purple  and  green,  a  com- 
bination suggested  by  the  evanescent  hues  of  Lake 
Michio:an.  Mr.  Reid  has  also  selected  seated  alle- 
gorical  figures  to  carry  out  his  ideas,  with  the  addi- 
tion of  four  youths,  one  on  the  keystone  of  each 
arch,  holding  high  above  their  heads  wreaths  and 
palm  branches  which  meet  and  cross  so  as  to  form  a 
band  of  decorative  forms  around  the  upper  part  of 
the  dome.  A  semi-nude  figure  of  a  man  with  an 
anvil  and  wrought-iron  shield  represents  "  Iron- 
working  ;  "  a  young  girl  in  white  resting  one  arm  on 
a  pedestal  and  the  hand  of  the  other  arm  touching 
a  piece  of  carved  stone,  signifies  "  Ornament;"  an- 
other in  purple,  finishing  a  drawing  of  a  scroll, 
suggests  the  principle  of  "Design,"  as  applied  to 
mechanical  arts,  and  the  fourth  figure  is  readily  in- 
terpreted as  honoring  the  "  Textile  Arts."  In  the 
east  portal  Mr.  E.  E.  Simmons  has  placed  a  single 
figure  of  a  man  in  each  pendentive  of  the  dome, 
symbolizing  "  Wood  Carving,"  "  Stone  Cutting," 
"  Forging,"  and  "  Mechanical  Appliances."  The  gen- 
eral scheme  is  pale  gray  and  flesh -colored  tones 
relieved  and  accentuated  by  the  forms  of  the  tools 
and    accessories    appropriate    to    each    figure.     The 


f 


/^"■-•V 


^' 


\C-V 


/ 


y 


"  DECORATION,"    FI(;UKE    BY    C.  S.    REINHAKT. 


THE   DECORATION  OF   THE   EXPOSITION  31 

composition  is  bold  in  line,  firm  in  outline,  and 
original  in  conception.  Mr.  Kenyon  Cox  in  the  ad- 
jacent dome  has  worked  so  far  in  harmony  with  Mr. 
Simmons  that  he  has  decorated  the  pendentives 
rather  than  the  upper  part  of  the  vault,  placing  a 
standing  female  figure  in  each  against  a  balustrade 
and  foliage.  Above  the  heads,  graceful  banderoles, 
bearing  the  subjects  illustrated,  convert  each  pen- 
dentive  into  a  shield  -  shaped  space.  A  robust 
woman  in  buff  jacket  testing  a  sword,  suggests 
"Steel  Working."  A  graceful  girl  in  blue  and 
white  drapery  holding  a  rare  vase  needs  no  title 
to  show  that  she  represents  "  Ceramic  Painting." 
"  Building "  is  symbolized  by  a  tall  and  shapely 
damsel  in  golden  green  robes,  standing  near  an 
uncompleted  wall,  and  "  Spinning "  by  a  stately 
maiden  of  fair  complexion  dressed  in  rose-colored 
stuffs,  with  the  significant  accessory  of  a  spider-web. 
In  the  north  portal  Mr.  J.  Carroll  Beckwith  has  il- 
lustrated the  subject  of  Electricity  as  applied  to 
Commerce.  Four  female  figures  occupy  the  pen- 
dentives. The  *'  Telephone  "  and  the  "  Indicator  " 
are  personified  by  a  woman  standing  holding  a 
telephone  to  her  ear  and  surrounded  by  tape  is- 
suing from  the  ticker;  "The  Arc  Light"  by  a  figure 
kneeling  holding  aloft  an  arc  light ;  "  The  Morse 
Telegraph  "  by  a  woman  in  flying  draperies  seated 
at  a  table  upon   which  is   the   operating    machine, 


32  SOME  ARTISTS  AT  THE   FAIR 

while  she  reads  from  a  book  ;  and  "  The  Dynamo  " 
by  a  woman  of  a  type  of  the  working-class  seated 
upon  the  magnet  with  a  revolving  wheel  and  belt  at 
her  feet.  Above,  in  the  upper  dome,  is  placed  the 
"  Spirit  of  Electricity,"  a  figure  of  a  boy  at  the  top  of 
the  dome  from  which  radiate  rays  of  lightning,  to 
which  he  points.  Mr.  Walter  Shirlaw,  who  has  dec- 
orated the  neighboring  dome,  shows  distinct  orig- 
inality of  conception  in  his  four  allegorical  fig- 
ures, "  Gold,"  "  Silver,"  "  Pearl,"  and  "  Coral,"  sym- 
bolizing the  abundance  of  the  land  and  the  sea. 
The  maiden  representing  "  Gold "  steps  forward 
freely,  her  mantle  of  yellow  falling  as  she  advances. 
A  silver-gray  cloak,  fastened  with  silver  disks,  dis- 
tinguishes the  figure  of  "Silver."  "  Pearl"  stands 
erect  with  glistening  pearls  around  her  neck  and  on 
her  garments.  "  Coral,"  with  raised  arms,  places  a 
coral  ornament  in  her  hair.  A  spider's  web  in  dec- 
orative pattern  connects  the  figures  and  occupies  the 
central  surface  of  the  dome.  White,  green,  and 
gold,  treated  in  monotones,  form  the  color  plan. 

The  figure  on  page  29  is  taken  from  a  sketch  of 
one  of  Mr.  C.  S.  Reinhart's  fio^ures  in  the  south 
dome  of  the  West  Portal,  and  was  materially 
changed  in  the  enlargement,  and  improved  in  ac- 
tion and  accessories.  The  effort  of  the  artist  has 
been  to  bring  all  the  separate  tones  into  harmony 
with  each  other,  making  the  design  and  color  appro- 


THE   armorer's    CRAFT,"  ONE    OF    FOUR    FIGURES    BY    E.    H.   BLASHFIELD,    REPRESENTING 
THE   ARTS    OF    METAL    WORKING. 


THE   DECORATION  OF   THE   EXPOSITION  35 

priate  to  the  purposes  of  the  building,  the  architect- 
ure, and  the  construction  of  the  pendentive  dome  it- 
self. A  white-marble  terrace  describes  a  complete 
circle  just  above  the  four  arches  of  the  dome,  the 
railing  of  which  is  a  repetition  of  the  actual  one 
which  finishes  the  top  of  the  walls  of  the  building  it- 
self; above  a  vibrating  blue  sky,  with  touches  of 
salmon  pink ;  in  the  pendentives  four  seated  female 
figures,  representing  the  Arts  of  Sculpture,  Decora- 
tion, Embroidery,  and  Design.  Between  the  figures 
and  above  the  arches  are  urns  with  cactus,  from 
which  vines  and  flowers  are  trailing,  thus  uniting  the 
composition.  The  treatment  is  mural — broad,  flat 
tones  within  the  severe  contours.  Above,  in  the  sky, 
faint  in  color  and  harmonizing  with  the  sky  itself, 
four  cherubs  are  having  a  merry-go-round  with  pale 
ribbons. 

The  pendentives  of  the  adjacent  dome,  painted 
by  Mr.  E.  H.  Blashfield,  are  filled  by  four  winged 
genii,  representing  the  "  Arts  of  Metal  Working." 
The  "  Armorer's  Craft "  is  personified  by  a  hel- 
meted  figure ;  the  "  Brass  Founder  "  and  ''  Iron 
Worker  "  by  two  half-nude  youths,  one  holding  an 
embossed  trencher,  the  other  a  hammer,  while  a 
maiden,  in  the  closely  clinging  gown  of  the  fifteenth 
century,  with  a  statuette  in  her  hand,  symbolizes  the 
"Art  of  the  Goldsmith."  The  extreme  points  of  the 
pendentives  are  filled  by   appropriate  attributes,  a 


36  SOME   ARTISTS  AT  THE   FAIB 

pair  of  gauntlets,  brass  workers'  tools,  a  horse-shoe, 
and  a  medal.  Behind  the  figures,  and  a  little  above 
their  heads,  is  a  frieze  of  Renaissance  scroll  work, 
and  the  whole  composition  is  bound  together  by  fly- 
ing banderoles  and  by  the  sweep  of  the  widely  ex- 
tended wings.  The  centre  of  the  dome  is  occupied 
by  two  winged  infants  supporting  a  shield.  The 
general  color  scheme  comprises  a  series  of  peacock 
blues,  greens,  and  purples,  brilliant  white  tones  in 
wings  and  frieze,  and  pale  blue  of  the  sky  as  a  back- 
ground to  the  composition. 

The  sculpture  groups  on  the  roof  of  the  Wom- 
an's Building,  and  the  elaborate  pediments  executed 
by  Miss  Alice  Rideout,  with  the  Caryatides,  by  Miss 
Enid  Yandelb  were  early  finished  and  in  place.  The 
same  is  true  of  Lorado  Taft's  graceful  groups  and 
friezes  which  adorn  the  Horticultural  Building,  and 
of  Mr.  John  J.  Boyle's  realistic  and  expressive  em- 
bodiments of  ideas  suggested  by  the  fertile  theme  of 
Transportation,  and  ranged  in  almost  bewildering 
profusion  around  the  building  which  bears  that 
name.  The  regiment  of  statues  on  the  Machinery 
Building,  by  Mr.  M.  A.  Waagen  and  Mr.  Robert 
Kraus,  those  on  the  Electricity  Building,  by  Mr.  J. 
A.  Blankingship  and  Mr.  Henry  A.  MacNeil,  the 
statue  of  Franklin,  by  Mr.  Carl  Rohl-Smith,  together 
with  scores  of  other  works  of  more  or  less  impor- 
tance, would,  if  listed,  make  a  long  catalogue  of  in- 


THE  DECORATION   OF   THE   EXPOSITION 


37 


teresting  objects  of  the  sculptor's  art.     The  immense 
numbers  of  these  works,  proportionate,  of  course,  to 


FEMALE    FIGURE    FROM    W.  L.  DODGE  S    DECORATION    IN    THE 
ADMINISTRATION    BUILDING. 

the  colossal  magnitude  of  the  Exposition,  forbid 
even  the  bare  mention  of  them  in  detail.  In  addi- 
tion to  this  great  mass  of  sculpture  work  executed 
for  the  special  purpose  of  supplementing  the  archi- 


38  SOME  ARTISTS  AT  THE  FAIR 

tecture,  it  is  intended  to  place  at  different  places, 
notably  in  the  Grand  Court  and  on  the  grounds, 
and  in  the  colonnades  of  the  Art  Building,  selected 
examples  of  ancient  sculpture,  various  reproduc- 
tions of  antique  monuments. 

An  essential  part  of  the  decoration  of  the  build- 
ing is,  of  course,  the  architectural  details,  the  models 
of  which  have  been  executed  by  various  parties,  not- 
ably Ellin  &  Kitson,  of  New  York,  and  Evans,  of 
Boston,  with  distinguished  taste  and  skill.  The 
capitals,  mouldings,  and  ornaments  of  Greek  and 
Roman  buildings  have  been  accurately  copied  on  a 
scale  and  in  a  manner  never  before  attempted.  A 
few  short  months  ago  there  was  in  this  country  but 
a  very  limited  number  of  full-sized  reproductions  of 
any  of  the  notable  details  of  ancient  architecture. 
The  cast  of  the  great  Jupiter  Stator  capital  was,  it  is 
said,  found  in  but  a  single  architect's  office.  Now 
the  whole  range  of  details,  from  the  beautiful  Ionic 
capitals  of  the  Temple  of  Minerva  Polias  to  the 
mouldings  of  the  Arch  of  Titus,  are  practically  at  the 
command  of  any  architect  and  student. 

Much  has  been  said  and  much  written  about  the 
proper  color  to  be  given  to  the  exteriors  of  the  great 
edifices.  Experience  shows,  even  if  reason  had  not 
already  dictated  the  decision,  that  the  nearer  they 
are  kept  to  white  the  better  for  the  architecture. 
Every  experiment  which  has  been  made  to  produce 


Iggg 


ll» 


BANNER  ADOPTED  FROM  THE 
STANDARD  OF  SPAIN  UNDER 
FERDINAND  AND  ISABELLA. 


BANNER  ADOPTED  FROM  THE 
EXPEDITIONARY  FLAG  OF 
COLUMBUS. 


THE  DECORATION  OF   THE   EXPOSITION  41 

aesthetic  effects  of  texture  suggested  by  the  usual 
treatment  of  plaster  objects  has  resulted  in  partial  or 
in  total  failure,  and  every  time  the  warm  white  of  the 
staff  has  been  meddled  with,  its  glory  has  departed. 
But  the  conditions  imposed  by  the  climate,  by  the 
impossibility  of  securing  a  homogeneous  surface, 
and  by  the  exposure  and  consequent  discoloration  of 
a  certain  portion  of  the  work,  have  made  it  necessary 
to  apply  some  sort  of  paint  to  all  the  buildings.  Or- 
dinary white-lead  and  oil  have  been  found  to  give 
the  best  results,  for  the  irregular  absorption  of  the 
staff  and  the  weathering  rapidly  produce  an  agree- 
able, not  too  montonous  an  effect,  and  the  surface 
deteriorates  less  rapidly  after  this  treatment.  The 
single  notable  exception  to  this  simple  scale  of  color 
is  found  on  the  Transportation  Building,  which  was 
given  to  Healy  and  Millet,  of  Chicago,  to  cover  with 
a  polychromatic  decoration,  carrying  out  the  original 
intention  of  the  architects,  and  making  it  unique  and 
splendid  in  appearance.  All  the  statuary  of  this 
building  was  treated  with  bronze  and  other  metals, 
the  great  portal,  commonly  called  the  "  Golden 
Door,"  was  exceedingly  rich  and  gorgeous  in  effect, 
and  the  intricate  ornamentation  of  the  architectural 
relief  decoration  had  an  echo  in  the  flat  surfaces  cov- 
ered with  rich  desi^^ns. 

The  decoration  of  the  Exposition  would  be  in- 
complete without  careful  attention   to  the  informal 


42  SOME  ARTISTS  AT  THE   FAIR 

and  festive  features,  such  as  flags  and  awnings. 
Every  building  presented  new  conditions,  and  de- 
manded special  study  and  design.  A  large  propor- 
tion of  the  flag-staffs  carried  gonfalons  or  banners, 
but  a  certain  number  were  reserved,  naturally,  for 
the  United  States  flag  and  the  flags  of  all  nations. 
At  various  points  large  poles  were  planted  in  the 
ground,  most  of  them  for  the  purpose  of  displaying 
the  Stars  and  Stripes,  and  a  group  of  three  poles, 
with  ornate  bases,  elaborate  flutings,  and  proper  fini- 
als  were  placed  in  front  of  the  Administration  Build- 
ing. The  middle  pole  to  carry  a  United  States  flag 
of  large  dimensions,  and  flanked  on  either  side  by  a 
large  and  sumptuous  banner,  one  adapted  from  the 
expeditionary  banner  of  Columbus,  the  other  from 
the  standard  of  Spain  at  the  time  of  the  discovery 
of  America. 


0    t 


■1  ^' 


/1^\ 


^(./ia- 


TYPES   AND    PEOPLE  AT   THE   FAIR 


By  J.  A.  Mitchell 

IT  is  no  reflection  on  the  Columbian  show  to  con- 
fess that  perhaps  the  pleasantest  moments  are 
those  spent  in  resting  one's  rebellious  limbs  upon 
a  bench  and  in  watching  the  crowd.  It  may  be  less 
novel  and  possibly  less  instructive  than  some  other 
exhibits,  but  it  is  often  more  amusing.  One  realizes 
in  studying  this  infinite  stream  of  humanity  how  lit- 
tle he  really  knows,  personally,  of  his  own  country- 
men. New  types  seem  to  have  sprung  into  exist- 
ence for  the  sole  purpose  of  appearing  at  this  fair. 
It  gives  one  a  startling  realization  of  the  varying 
effects  of  climate,  food,  and  mode  of  life  upon  our 
brothers    and    sisters.      Voice,    manner,    color,  size, 


44  SOAIE   ARTISTS  AT  THE   FAIR 

shape,  and  mental  fittings  are  so  widely  different  as 
to  suggest  varieties  in  race.  But  we  are  all  Ameri- 
cans, and  those  from  the  interior  are  more  American 
than  the  others. 

If  the  native  Indian  were  of  a  reflective  turn  of 
mind,  all  this  might  awaken  unpleasant  thoughts. 
Judging  from  outside  appearance,  however,  he  has 
no  thoughts  whatever.  He  stalks  solemnly  about 
the  grounds  with  a  face  as  impassive  as  his  w-ooden 
counterparts  on  Sixth  Avenue.  And  yet  Jie  is  the 
American.  He  is  the  only  one  among  us  who  had 
ancestors  to  be  discovered.  He  is  the  aboriginal ; 
the  first  occupant  and  owner;  the  only  one  here 
with  an  hereditary  right  to  the  country  we  are  cele- 
brating. Perhaps  the  native  realizes  this  in  his  own 
stolid  fashion.  As  he  stalks  about  among  the  daz- 
zling structures  of  the  Fair,  and  tries,  or  more  likely, 
does  not  try,  to  grasp  the  innumerable  wonders  of 
art  and  science  that  only  annoy  and  confuse  him,  it 
may  require  a  too  exhausting  mental  effort  to  recall 
the  fact  that  his  own  grandfather  very  likely  pursued 
the  bounding  buffalo  over  the  waste  of  prairie  now 
covered  by  the  city  of  Chicago.  He,  at  least,  if  his 
education  permitted  it,  could  claim  historic  connec- 
tion with  the  country  when  Columbus  came  so  near 
discovering  it ;  whereas  our  own  connection  with 
the  discoverer  is  certainly  remote,  and  sometimes 
suggests  (with  the  fact  that  he  from  whom  we  have 


TYPES  AND  PEOPLE  AT  THE  FAIR 


45 


named   the   Fair  never  actually  saw  this  particular 
country)  that  we  are  taking  liberties  with  his  name. 

The  unconquerable  American  desire  to  do  things 
on   a  bigger  scale   than  anybody  else,  which   often 


c 


TRYING   TO    GET    THE   BETTER    OF    THE   NATIVE. 

results  in  our  "  biting  off  more  than  we  can  chew," 
has  again  run  away  with  us.  There  are  many  illus- 
trations of  this  ornawinof  huno^er  at  the  World's  Fair. 
In  fact  the  Fair  itself,  as  a  whole,  comes  painfully 
near  being  an  illustration  in  point.  A  colossal  en- 
terprise too  vast  and  complex  to  permit  of  its  attain- 


46  SOME   ARTISTS  AT  THE  FAIR 

ing  a  perfect  finish  in  the  time  allowed,  seems  to 
give  more  joy  to  our  occidental  spirits  than  any  pos- 
sible perfection  on  a  smaller  scale.  Crudity  has  lit- 
tle terror  for  us.  The  whole  scheme  is  so  vast  and 
comprehensive,  and  the  scale  so  hopelessly  mag- 
nificent, that  the  visitor  finds  he  has  neither  the 
spirit,  spine,  nor  legs  to  even  partially  take  it  in.  In 
fact  the  farther  he  goes  the  more  he  realizes  the  fu- 
tility of  the  undertaking.  And  the  hapless  en- 
thusiast who  proposes  to  see,  even  superficially,  the 
more  important  exhibits,  should  be  fitted  with  a 
wrought-iron  spine,  nerves  of  catgut,  and  one  more 
summer.  In  all  the  departments,  from  the  fine  arts 
to  canned  tomatoes,  there  is  more  than  enoueh  in 
numbers  and  in  area  to  wear  out  the  energy  and 
paralyze  the  brain.  To  visit  the  Fair  with  profit  or 
comfort  you  must  leave  your  sense  of  duty  behind. 
Whoever  goes  there  with  intent  to  thoroughly  "  do 
it,"  is  laying  up  for  himself  anguish  of  mind  and  the 
complete  annihilation  of  his  muscular  and  nervous 
force.  It  is  far  too  big  for  any  question  of  con- 
science to  be  allowed  to  enter  in.  Its  bigness  is 
beyond  description.  No  words  or  pictures  can  tell 
the  story  of  its  size.  Experience  alone  can  teach  it. 
You  must  go  there  day  after  day,  to  return  at  night 
with  tired  eyes  and  aching  limbs,  and  with  the  bitter 
and  ever-increasino^  knowledo^e  that  as  an  exhibition 
you  can  never  -grasp   it.     Where  other  exhibitions 


TYPES  AND   PEOPLE   AT  THE  FAIR 


47 


have  been  satisfied  with  a  display  of  an  hundred 
cubic  feet  of  any  special  article,  Chicago  must  have 
at  least  an  acre.  Of  whatever  the  world  has  seen 
before  this  time  it  now  sees  larger  specimens  and 
more  of  them.  This  means  for  the  visitor  more 
steps,  more  fatigue,  more  confusion,  more  time,  and 
more  money. 


But  there  is  a  good  side  to  all  this,  if  one  can 
forget  his  physical  fatigue.  Few  of  us  fully  realize 
what  the  Fair  is  doing  for  this  country  aesthetically. 
Not  so  much  by  its  art  collections,  for  the  average 
American  sees,  or  can  see,  enough  good  paintings 
in  the  course  of  a  year  to  bring  up  his  standard  to  a 
respectable  level  if  he  so  elects,  but  by  the  architect- 
ure of  the  buildings  themselves.  Unless  the  afore- 
mentioned "  Average  American  "   is  an  undeserving 


48  SOME   ARTISTS  AT  THE   FAIR 

barbarian  who  has  made  up  his  mind  to  prefer  the 
wrong  thing,  these  impressive  monuments  cannot 
fail  to  do  him  good.  The  honest  beauty  of  their  de- 
sign ought  to  stamp  itself  with  sufficient  force  upon 
his  daw^ning  reason  to  make  him  see  the  crudity  of 
the  United  States  architecture  in  which  he  has  wal- 
lowed up  to  date.  No  praise  is  too  high  for  what 
Chicago  has  achieved  in  this  direction.  There  are, 
of  course,  at  the  Fair  some  painful  examples  of  what 
the  untamed  American  architect  loves  to  do,  but  he 
is  fortunately  in  the  minority.  And  the  very  con- 
trast he  offers  works  for  progress  in  the  cause  of 
good  art  and  a  higher  standard.  The  United  States 
Building,  designed  by  a  Government  architect,  is  a 
melancholy  warning. 

The  more  intimate  one  becomes  with  this  partic- 
ular fair,  the  more  forcibly  he  realizes  the  fact  that 
we  are,  above  all  else,  a  practical  people.  After  be- 
ing duly  impressed  by  the  gigantic  proportions  and 
artistic  excellence  of  the  buildings,  for  which  no 
praise  is  too  high,  we  come  gradually  to  learn,  as  we 
meander  among  the  exhibits,  that  those  things 
which  excite  our  surprise  and  curiosity  are  generally 
the  results  of  ingenuity  and  manual  skill.  In  those 
departments,  for  instance,  relating  to  art,  literature, 
and  history,  there  is  little  to  startle  the  traveller 
who  is  at  all  familiar  with  previous  international 
shows.     The   best   in   the  art  galleries  is,  as   usual, 


TYPES  AND  PEOPLE  AT  THE  FAIR  49 

from  Europe.  There  is  no  dodging  the  fact  that  the 
average  American  is  not  overladen  with  the  artistic 
sense.  His  enthusiasm  runs  in  other  directions. 
When  it  comes  to  the  outward  manifestations  of  hu- 
man ingenuity,  lie  is  "  on  deck ;  "  he  is  "  in  it  "  and 
"with  you."  The  application  of  electricity  to  filling 
teeth,  or  converting  sawdust  into  table-butter,  kin- 
dles in  his  bosom  an  excitement  he  never  experi- 
enced in  the  art  department.  It  certainly  seems, 
after  a  visit  to  the  electricity  and  machinery,  that  hu- 
man hands  can  do  nothing  that  is  not  more  quickly 
accomplished  by  some  machine.  Not  only  this,  but 
time  and  distance  count  for  nothing,  and,  if  we  keep 
on  as  we  have  started,  the  day  will  soon  be  here 
when  the  man  in  Maine  can  shake  hands  with  his 
friend  in  Arizona.  Already  the  sun  is  a  hard-work- 
ing slave.  Light,  air,  water,  and  in  fact  all  nature, 
seems  cruelly  overworked.  If  she  ever  strikes,  it 
will  be  an  awkward  period  for  us.  These  mechan- 
ical and  scientific  surprises  make  it  interesting  to 
speculate  as  to  possible  sights  at  our  next  grand 
exhibition,  say  twenty  years  hence.  The  man  in 
China,  for  instance,  need  not  go  to  the  future  fair  at 
all.  He  will  probably  be  able  to  see  and  hear  it  all 
at  home.  If  he  does  go  he  can  return  to  Shanghai 
for  his  lunch. 

But  the  American  as  seen  at  this  fair,  although 
first  of  all  practical,  is   not,  from  another  point  of 


50  SOME  ARTISTS  AT  THE   FAIR 

view,  SO  far  behind  in  his  artistic  sense  as  we  are  in 
the  habit  of  considering  him.  In  the  first  place,  he 
is  found,  as  a  rule,  standing  before  the  best  paintings 
and  passing  by  the  poorer  ones.  Those  galleries 
containing  the  finest  works  are  invariably  the  most 
crowded.  And  this  is  the  greatest  compliment  we 
can  pay  ourselves.  If,  on  the  other  hand,  enthusias- 
tic groups  collected  about  the  impressionists,  and 
took  pleasure  in  the  purple  and  yellow  "effects,"  that 
are  sprinkled  about  the  French  and  American  sec- 
tions, there  would  be  cause  for  anxiety.  But  such  is 
not  the  case.  That  the  impressionists  still  count 
their  warmest  admirers  among  themselves,  their 
wives,  sisters,  and  aunts,  is  a  hopeful  sign.  As  a 
people,  we  take  many  things  less  seriously  than 
some  of  our  contemporaries,  but  in  matters  of  art 
we  like  it  with  a  purpose.  Too  little  clothing  still 
strikes  us  as  frivolous  and  improper.  Blood,  vio- 
lence, and  all  unpleasantness  are  sometimes  histori- 
cally instructive,  but,  as  a  rule,  we  are  fond  of  com- 
fortable subjects.  We  still  like  a  taste  of  sugar  in 
our  art. 

But  the  brightest  sisfn  of  all  is  the  universal  and 
hearty  appreciation  by  the  multitude  of  the  buildings 
themselves.  The  expressions  of  delight  by  those 
who  see  for  the  first  time  these  marvels  of  archi- 
tectural beauty,  indicate  at  least  a  capacity  for  artis- 
tic enjoyment.     In  fact,  the  American  who  steps  for 


TYPES  AND  PEOPLE   AT  THE   FAIR  51 

the  first  time  upon  the  borders  of  the  Grand  Basin, 
and  looks  upon  the  scene  before  him  without  a 
tingle  of  pride  and  pleasure  is  not  of  the  stuff  he 
should  be.  No  words  can  give  a  just  idea  of  the 
magnificence  and  restful  beauty  of  this  gigantic 
achievement.  Rome  and  Greece  were  of  marble 
and  built  for  a  more  serious  purpose.  This  is  a  city 
for  a  single  summer.  As  such  it  is  a  complete  and 
glorious  triumph. 

There  is  nothino^  like  a  colossal  exhibition  to 
emphasize  the  disastrous  effects  of  wealth  upon  the 
human  spirit.  Your  friend  with  plenty  of  money 
goes  to  the  Fair  because  others  do  and  because  he 
hates  to  be  "out  of  it."     He  reaches  Chicaoo  in  a 

o 

palace  car,  occupies  luxurious  rooms  at  a  comfort- 
able and  expensive  hotel,  takes  a  carriage  when 
others  walk,  and  at  the  exhibition  itself  derives  pleas- 
ure only  from  those  things  that  are  unexpectedly 
novel.  And  to  him  such  sights  are  few  and  such 
sensations  rare.  What  he  does  realize,  however, 
continually  and  with  force,  is  the  enormity  of  the 
crowd  with  its  thoughtless  persistence  in  holding  the 
best  places  in  front  of  those  exhibits  he  wishes  to 
see  himself.  Moreover,  there  is  an  ever-increasine 
sense  of  physical  discomfort,  and  that  is  something 
your  moneyed  friend  is  slow  to  forgive.  But  he  does 
his  duty,  and  he  is  glad  above  all  to  get  home  again. 


52 


SOME   ARTISTS  AT  THE   FAIR 


But  how  different  with  your  less  prosperous 
friend,  who  has  been  economizing  for  months  in 
order  to  get  there  !  It  being  an  expensive  business, 
his  time  is  limited,  and  he  drinks  it  in  through  all 
his  senses,  excitedly  and  with  large  gulps.  It  is 
hard  work,  but  how  interesting !  That  dull  pain 
which  overtakes  the  great  majority  of  sightseers  soon 
catches  him  in  the  back  of  his  neck,  but  as  long  as  he 
can  see,  hear,  and  walk,  he  profits  by  his  opportuni- 
ties. And  he  goes  to  his  home  mentally  refreshed, 
a  broader  and  a  wiser  man.  He  has  orained  an  ex- 
perience  he  would  not  exchange  for  many  dollars. 

An  unlooked-for  feature  of  the  exhibition  is  the 
profusion  of  newly  married  couples.  Whether  all 
this  individual  ecstasy  adds  gay- 
ety  or  mournful ness  to  the  Fair 
depends,  of  course,  entirely  upon 
the  point  of  view  from  which  the 
victims  are  regarded.  It  is  evi- 
dent that  many  happy  grooms  have 
considered    this    a   chance    to   kill 

f two  birds  with  one  stone,  and,  as 

far  as  one  can  judge  results  from 
outw^ard  appearances,  there  is  no 
question  as  to  the  practical  work- 
ing of  the  scheme.  The  happy 
couple  find  themselves  in  a  sort  of  fairy  land,  wan- 
dering about  among  countless  strangers,  whose  very 


A    BRIDE    AND    GROOM. 


TYPES  AND   PEOPLE   AT  THE  FAIR  53 

numbers  seem  to  lend  security  and  to  harden  the 
over-sensitive  soul.  The  crowd  also  seems  to  create 
a  feeling  of  isolation  which  the  innermost  recesses 
of  a  virgin  forest  could  never  supply.  Moreover, 
there  is  here  so  much  else  to  occupy  the  attention 
of  the  usually  obnoxious  public  that  the  bride  and 
groom  can  hold  hands  with  absolute  security  and 
be  as  bold  or  blushing  as  their  temperaments  may 
demand. 

The  rolling-chairs  that  run  about  the  grounds 
and  through  the  buildings  are  the  salvation  of  many 
a  fainting  spirit.  To  thousands  of  human  beings 
with  nothing  but  a  human  back  and  human  legs  the 
fair  would  be  a  failure  without  them.  They  are  sup- 
port for  the  weary,  strength  for  the  weak,  and  hope 
and  a  new  life  for  the  despairing.  The  guides  who 
navigate  them  are,  as  a  rule,  college  students,  profit- 
ing by  this  opportunity  to  see  the  fair  and  to  secure 
additional  dollars  toward  completing  their  studies. 
The  result  is,  for  the  occupant  of  the  chair,  an  intelli- 
gent and  agreeable  companion,  who  is  ready  and 
willing  to  give  any  information  he  may  possess. 
And  besides,  they  are  neither  sharks  nor  liars,  but 
fair  and  honorable  respecters  of  truth.  There  is 
sometimes  a  contrast  in  manners  and  education  be- 
tween the  occupant  of  the  chair  and  the  man  behind 
that  is  not  in  favor  of  the  former.  When  one  sees 
what  is  evidently  a  citizen  with  far  more  money  than 


54 


SOME  ARTISTS  AT  THE   FAIR 


brains,  and  without  the  faintest  appreciation  of  the 
beauties  that  encompass  him,  wheeled  about  at 
seventy-five  cents  an  hour  by  a  youth  so  far  his  su- 
perior that  any  comparison  is  impos- 
sible, it  causes  one  to  realize  that 
Fortune  is  indeed  an  irresponsible 
^  flirt,  who  is  never  so  happy  as  when 
doing  the  wrong  thing. 


A  not  uncommon 
sight,  and  one  of  the 
countless  illustra- 
tions of  what  an 
excellent  husband 
the  American  be- 
comes when  proper- 
ly trained,  is  that  of 
the  weary,  uninterested 
man,  lingering  patient- 
ly among  laces,  china, 
and  views  of  Switzer- 
land. His  heart  all  the 
while  is  off  with  the  machinery,  possibly  with  that 
more  than  human  little  machine  that  winds  the  cot- 
ton on  the  spools.  Such  cases  are,  of  course,  offset 
by  the  devoted  women  who  wear  themselves  out 
in  tramping  through  soulless  acres  of  agricultural 
products,  locomotives,  wagons,  models  of  ships,  and 
all  the  other  follies  that  appeal  to  man. 


TYPES  AND  PEOPLE   AT  THE  FAIR  55 

The  burning  question  of  the  hour  for  the  visitor 
from  another  city  is  the  question  of  finance.  He 
who  is  worth  his  milHon  and  intends  spending  a 
fortnight  in  Chicago,  will  do  well  to  take  his  million 
with  him.  He  may  bring  some  of  it  away,  but  that 
will  depend  entirely  upon  his  own  capacity  for  econ- 
omy. Before  registering  at  the  hotel  let  him  be  sure 
to  secure  his  return  ticket,  for  it  is  a  long  walk  from 
Chicago  to  New  York.  These  remarks  are  not  in- 
tended to  discourage  all  who  are  not  millionaires 
from  visiting  the  exhibition.  It  can  be  done  with 
less  money.  The  writer  has  himself  accomplished  it. 
In  fact,  it  is  only  fair  to  say  that  many  of  the  stories 
of  extortion  which  have  come  from  the  White  City 
are  much  exaggerated.  The  most  successful  brig- 
ands are  in  the  city  of  Chicago,  and  not  at  the  Fair. 

The  writer  can  testify,  from  his  own  personal  ex- 
perience, that  a  very  good  lunch  can  be  procured  in 
the  State  of  Illinois  for  less  than  one  hundred  dol- 
lars. Thirty  dollars  is  more  than  enough  for  a 
sandwich,  and  a  glass  of  water  can  be  purchased 
anywhere  for  less  than  ninety  cents.  While  to  walk 
by  the  cafes  and  restaurants  and  look  upon  others 
who  are  eating,  costs  the  promenader  nothing  what- 
ever. But  these  moderate  prices  do  not  obtain  at 
your  hotel.  The  object  of  keeping  a  hotel  is,  like 
some  other  occupations,  partly  to  make  money. 
The  Chicago  hotel-keeper  does  not  ignore  this  fact. 


THE   QUESTION   OF   FINANCE. 


His  ideas  of  the  relation  of  profit  to  expenditure  are 
well  calculated  to  startle  the  guest  of  reasonable  ex- 
pectations. If  the  guest  is  not  overweeningly  am- 
bitious and  is  satisfied  to  sleep  in  a  closet  or  hang 
from  the  stairs,  his  expenses  need  be  no  greater  than 
if  he  occupied  a  handsome  suite  of  rooms  at  any 
first-class  New  York  hotel.  But  if  he  insists  on  hav- 
inor  a  real  chamber,  laro^er  even  than  his  own  bath- 
room  at  home,  and  with  a  real  window  in  it,  then  he 
must  pay.  And  it  is  then  that  he  begins  to  dis- 
cover why  his  landlord  keeps  a  hotel.  Any  previ- 
ous extravagances  in  the  way  of  horses,  real  estate. 


TYPES  A  AW   PEOPLE   AT  THE   PAIR 


57 


or  precious  stones  are  as  nothing  to  the  present  out- 
lay. He  finds  that  the  rate  per  diem  is,  as  far  as  he 
can  judge,  based  upon  the  supposition  that  the  hotel 
is  to  be  closed  to-morrow  and  must  be  paid  for  to- 
day. And  real  estate  is  high,  even  in  Chicago.  In 
matters  of  nourishment,  the  wealth  of  Ormus  is  of 
no  avail,  unless  the  waiter  receives  a  tip  exceeding 
in  value  the  handsomest  Christmas  present  ever 
Q^iven  to  a  dearest  friend. 

Within  the  grounds  there  is  little  extortion, 
thanks  to  the  firmness  of  the  ruling  powers. 

But  let  not  the  Chicagoan  whose  eye  may  fall 
upon  these  lines  suppose  for  an  instant  that  they  are 
intended  as  reflections  on  his  character.  The  city 
that  secured  the  prize  is  simply  fulfilling  its  inevita- 


CAF:6   in    the   iMIDWAY    PLAISANCE 


58  SOME   ARTISTS  AT  THE  FAIR 

ble  destiny.  Had  New  York  drawn  the  plum  we 
should  have  witnessed  a  worse  extortion,  with  the 
added  mortification  of  a  much  inferior  exhibition. 
Moreover,  there  is  no  public  spirit  in  New  York,  and 
there  is  a  o^reat  deal  of  it  in  Chicag^o.  This  senti- 
ment  alone  is  more  than  enough  to  make  the  differ- 
ence between  success  and  failure.  The  woods  are 
full  of  citizens  willing  to  begin  at  sunrise  and  dis- 
course to  you  until  midnight  of  the  wonders  of 
Chicago.  In  ordinary  times  this  burning  desire  to 
impart  just  that  kind  of  information  is  not  always 
appreciated  by  the  outside  world ;  but  in  times  of 
fairs  the  spirit  that  prompts  it  becomes  a  mighty  en- 
gine. It  was  soon  demonstrated  that  these  citizens 
could  work  as  well  as  talk,  and  as  a  result  the  White 
City  has  risen  as  from  a  fairy's  wand. 

The  important  question  for  the  individual  citizen 
is  whether  it  is  worth  his  while  to  go  to  this  fair. 
And  this,  of  course,  depends  altogether  upon  his 
purse,  his  stomach,  his  back,  his  legs,  nerves,  wife, 
children,  and  business.  He  may  never  have  another 
such  opportunity  for  mental  expansion  and  physical 
discomfort.  It  is  a  marvel  of  architectural  beauty. 
It  is  days  of  instruction,  of  art  and  science,  of 
surprise  and  exasperation,  of  mental  development, 
fatigue,  and  financial  ruin.  In  the  end  his  personal 
preferences,  however,  will  probably  have  little  to  do 
with  it.    All  the  world  are  going,  and  he  must  go  too. 


THE   ART   OF    THE  WHITE    CITY 

By  Will  H.  Low 

ON  the  way  west  to  the  White  City,  to  "  the 
stately  pleasure-dome  decreed,"  where  the 
arts  of  civilization  by  the  unwritten  law  of 
International  Expositions  hold  their  court,  the  ob- 
servant traveller  finds  abundant  food  for  thought. 
Beyond  Niagara,  assuming  his  point  of  departure 
to  be  New  York,  he  sees  in  the  landscape  through 
which  he  is  whirled  a  continuous  sweep  of  flat  farm- 
ing land,  but  little  water ;  fences  everywhere,  trees 
sparsely  scattered,  and  plain  box-like  houses  tell- 
ing only  of  shelter ;  abundant  barns  differing  little 
from  the  dwellings,  and  from  time  to  time  towns  of 
varied  nomenclature  ranging  from  Delhi  to  Kalama- 
zoo. Through  the  horizontal  blur  caused  by  the 
speed  of  the  train  through  which  all  this  is  seen, 
there  appear,  principally  about  the  stations,  figures 
which  lend  a  languid  interest  to  the  dead  level  of 
monotony. 

The  human  interest  of  the  picture,  however,  tells 
the  same  story  as  the  landscape — a  story  of  hard 
work,  of  material  reward,  an  acquiescence  in  the  law 


60  SOME   ARTISTS  AT  THE   FAIR 

by  which  labor  gains  bread  and  shelter,  and  little 
else.  Occasionally,  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the 
stations,  there  is  some  attempt  at  adornment,  gen- 
erally confined  to  "  tidying  up  "  the  surroundings ; 
but  around  the  farm-houses  few  or  no  flowers,  lit- 
tle or  no  attempt  to  beautify  the  home,  nothing  of 
the  almost  frantic  suburban  effort  of  the  East  which 
has  made  the  country  kaleidoscopically  varied  with 
color,  for  the  most  part  bad,  yet  giving  hope  that  the 
next  generation  will  do  better,  and  pointing  at  least 
to  a  desire  for  beauty.  Individual  effort,  unseen 
along  the  route,  may  be  slandered  by  the  preceding, 
but  such  for  many  monotonous  miles  seemed  the 
foreground  of  the  picture  we  were  journeying  to 
see. 

At  last  a  plain,  varied  by  marshes,  through  which 
boarded  walks  running^  at  rioht  anodes,  with  an  oc- 
casional  house  here  and  there,  testified  to  the  vari- 
ous suburban  excrescences  of  a  great  city  ;  then  a 
dome  or  two,  towers,  flags  fluttering  in  the  sun,  in- 
numerable trains,  clano^or  of  bells  and  shriekino- 
of  whistles ;  and  with  Chicago  seven  miles  away, 
hidden  in  a  pall  of  smoke,  the  White  City  was  at 
hand. 

There  are  certain  mastering  impressions  in  one's 
life,  certain  scenes  which  stamp  the  memory,  and, 
like  the  priceless  kakemono  which  the  reverent  Jap- 
anese withdraws  from  hidino-  when  in  the  mood  to 


LIGHTING    THE    NATURAL    GAS    TORCHES    ON    THE    ROOF    OF    THE   ADMINISTRATION    BUILDING. 


THE  ART  OF   THE    WHITE   CITY  63 

enjoy  it,  rise  obedient  to  one's  thought  in  aftertime. 
Such  a  memory  is  that  of  a  first  sunny  morning  in 
Paris :  a  ride  from  the  Madeleine  across  the  Place 
de  la  Concorde,  along  the  Tuileries  Gardens  and  the 
Louvre,  across  the  Seine  with  the  island  and  Notre 
Dame  in  the  distance,  and  then  through  older  Paris 
to  the  gardens  of  the  Luxembourg.  Or  again,  a  cer- 
tain early  moonlit  evening  in  Florence,  with  the 
Duomo  looming  at  the  end  of  the  street,  Giotto's 
Campanile  standing  sentinel  at  its  side,  the  narrow 
street  to  the  Piazza  della  Signoria  with  its  Palazzo 
Vecchio  and  the  Loggia  dei  Lanzi,  thence  by  the 
side  of  the  Uffizi  to  the  Arno  and  across  the  Ponte 
Vecchio  up  to  the  Pitti  Palace.  These  memories, 
common  to  so  many,  are  often  gained  on  ground 
made  familiar  through  study  of  guide-books  and 
photographs  which,  instead  of  dulling  realization, 
add  to  it  the  zest  of  more  thorough  appreciation. 
In  like  manner,  study,  discussion,  photographs,  and 
engravings  prepare  one  for  the  Columbian  Exposi- 
tion ;  but  the  first  few  hours  of  living  in  its  archi- 
tectural dreamland  gives  reality  to  the  shadowy  pre- 
conception, and  adds  the  priceless  gift  of  another 
masterpiece  to  memory's  picture-gallery. 

It  is  probably  impracticable  in  any  case,  and 
when  we  think  of  the  transformation  that  this  prairie 
has  witnessed  in  two  short  years,  quite  impossible, 
in  the  case  of  the  Exposition,  to  keep  the  approaches 


64 


SOME   ARTISTS  AT  THE   FAIR 


of  a   great  popular  resort  in  any  degree  beautiful 
Here  we  have  on  the  land  side  of  the  Fair  the  usual 

assemblaofe  of 
cheap  shows,  lem- 
onade venders,  and 
the  like,  which  line 
the  unsightly  fence 
and  make  up  what 
a  friend  has  dubbed 
the  Sideway  Un- 
pleasant.  The 
fence  is  hard  to  par- 
don in  a  land  where 
energy  is  predomi- 
nant, desire  to  do 
the  best  not  want- 
ing, and  staff  shMVi- 
dant.  A  high  white 
wall  enclosino-  the 
substantial  fabric  of  their  dream  would  have  done 
much  to  give  the  western  approach  something  of  the 
festal  mao-nificence  which  the  architects  have  o-iven 
to  the  entrance  by  the  Peristyle  at  the  lake  side. 

But  once  within,  to  pick  flaws  criticism  must  take 
a  higher  flight  than  one,  frankly  astonished  at  the 
goodness  of  it  all,  is  disposed  to  permit  it  to.  Noth- 
ing is  perfect  in  this  mundane  sphere,  but  this  effort 
on    lines  as  yet  untrodden  by  these  States  has  such 


AT    NIGHT    ON    THE    MIDWAY    PLAISANCE. 


THE   ART  OF   T'HE    WHITE    CITY 


65 


measure  of  success  that  one  is  proud  to  feel  that  this 
has  been  done  in  our  own  time,  in  one's  own  country, 
by  men  of  one's  own  race — the  race  that  peoples  our 
seaboard,  tills  our  -^;:_^5, 
manufacturino- 

tow^ns,  tills  our  great 
farms,  and  stretching 
westward  extracts  pre- 
cious metals  here  and 
cultivates  orange-groves 
and  vineyards  there; 
the  race  which  is  daily 
urged,  on  the  "  whale- 
back  "  steamer  from  the 
city  to  the  Fair,  to  pur- 
chase its  chewing-gum  before  the  boat  starts,  as 
none  is  sold  after  leaving  the  pier  ;  the  race  that 
is  so  cosmopolitan,  so  made  up  from  strange  and 
opposing  elements,  and  is  withal  so  homogeneous, 
so  American — and  proud,  above  all,  to  feel  that  this 
curious  people  have  had,  at  the  crucial  moment,  the 
good  sense  to  be  inconsistent,  to  make  haste  slowly, 
to  defer  to  the  few,  to  make  their  Exposition  the 
most  beautiful  before  setting  to  work  to  make  it,  as 
things  needs  must  be  here,  the  biggest  in  all  crea- 
tion. 

To  be  of  this  race  and  a  follower  of  the  arts  ;  to 
have  noted  for  years  the  growth  of  public  desire  for 


INDIAN    GIRL   AND    BULL,   MODELLED    BY 
FRENCH    &    POTTER. 


66 


SOME  ARTISTS  AT  THE  FAIR 


art  and  the  frequent 
lapses  to  indifference 
on  its  part ;  to  have 
seen  that  our  artists  as 
they  grow  in  strength 
and  numbers  claimed 
the  right  to  do  some- 
thing larger  and  finer 
and  better  than  the  pri- 
vate house,  the  portrait 
statue,  or  the  genre 
picture ;  and  then  to 
come  here,  where  for 
the  first  time  they  have 
found  opportunity,  and 
where  the  alliance  of 
architecture,  sculpture, 
and  painting  has  pro- 
duced its  first  work,  to 
find  that  first  work  sur- 
prisingly good,  is  to 
feel  proud  not  alone 
for  the  valiant  crafts- 
men who  have  pro- 
duced this  result,  but 
for  the  country  at  large 
which  has  stood  behind 
ceR^>IAiulKa     them,  and  above  all 


THE  ART  OF   THE    WHITE   CITY  67 

for  the  solid  men  of  the  city  of  Chicago  who  have 
planned  the  work  so  bravely  and  so  wisely.  So 
many  elements  enter  into  an  enterprise  of  this  kind 
that  to  a  community  like  ours  (unaided  by  a  parental 
government  which,  as  in  France,  takes  upon  itself, 
as  one  of  its  functions,  the  provision  of  public  pa- 
geant and  amusement,  and  keeps  as  it  were  all  the 
material  in  stock)  the  problem  was  more  than  diffi- 
cult, and  the  solution,  solved  as  it  has  been,  most 
surprising.  Eighteen  months  ago  in  Paris,  as  I 
stood  with  a  French  friend  in  the  shadow  of  the  Eif- 
fel Tower,  he  said,  indicating  the  colossal  construc- 
tion, "  I  suppose  that  at  Chicago  you  will  have  a 
tower  bigger  than  that^  and  that  your  exposition  will 
be  a  triumph  of  that  sort  of  thing."  "  I  suppose  that 
it  may,"  was  the  answer ;  but  the  tower  which  is 
such  a  blot  on  Paris,  diminishing  in  scale  her  most 
beautiful  monuments,  is  nowhere  to  be  seen  in  Chi- 
cago, and  though  the  bones  and  sinews  of  the  Lib- 
eral Arts  building  may  be  a  "  triumph  of  that  sort  of 
thing,"  its  flesh  of  staff  effectively  covers  and  adorns 
it  without  concealment  of  construction  or  strength, 
but  with  due  consideration  paid  to  beauty. 

To  house  the  exhibits,  to  provide  for  instruction, 
and  to  make  a  pleasure-ground  for  the  people  (it 
could  be  urged  from  a  utilitarian  point  of  view) 
might  indeed  have  been  done  more  simply,  or,  as 
the  phrase  runs,    in   a   more    "  business-like "  way. 


68  SOME   ARTISTS  AT  THE   FAIR 

One  rugged  old  farmer  I  overheard,  as  I  stood  lean- 
ing on  the  balustrade  at  the  back  of  the  MacMon- 
nies  fountain,  as  he  pulled  his  wife  away  from  the 
contemplation  of  the  charming  group  of  mermaids 
and  sea-babies  who  disport  themselves  in  the  wake 
of  Columbia's  triumphal  galley,  "  Come  along,  Maria, 
I  never  see  no  use  in  them  things  ;  women  with 
fishes'  tails."  Maria  went  along,  but  I  fancied  that 
Maria's  daughter  lingered  a  moment,  and  she  may 
have  found  the  "  use  "  of  the  artist  in  the  social  sys- 
tem. At  any  rate,  the  Chicago  business  man  who 
individually  and  collectively  represents  the  controll- 
ing power  of  this  vast  enterprise  knew  the  use  of 
beauty,  and  with  the  sagacity  born  of  commercial 
success  called  to  his  aid  the  men  most  eminent  in 
their  professions,  and  then — left  them  alone. 

ArQuino-  without  absolute  knowledoe,  is  it  not 
easy  to  imagine  that  many  times  during  the  two 
years  spent  in  constructing  these  superb  structures, 
the  heart  of  the  business  man  must  have  failed  him 
in  seeing  this  child  of  his  creation  grow  in  beauty 
and  strength  to  be  sure,  but  at  a  cost  of  so  many 
millions  ?  No  record  exists,  it  is  safe  to  say,  of  any 
questioning.  The  artists  had  been  called  in,  they 
were  doing  their  work  loyally ;  and  no  less  loyally, 
through  financial  crisis,  business  depression,  and 
public  indifference,  the  business  man  performed  his 
part  of  the  contract.     He  had  pledged  himself  to  the 


THE  ART  OF   THE    WHITE    CITY  69 

whole  country  to  do  his  best,  the  pledge  had  been 
given  and  accepted  in  the  hour  when  he  bore  the 
coveted  privilege  to  hold  the  Exposition  away  from 
competing  cities,  and  the  Court  of  Honor  shows 
how  well  the  pledge  has  been  kept.  A  detail  of  or- 
ganization, one  of  the  many  which  would  make 
the  history  of  the  Exposition  most  interesting  if 
written,  was  told  the  other  day,  and  is  so  character- 
istic of  the  spirit  in  which  the  Fair  has  been  put 
through,  that  it  is  worth  incorporating  here.  At  a 
time  when  the  Exposition  had  reached  the  limits 
of  all  possible  insurance,  when  every  sound  in- 
surance company  in  the  world  was  carrying  all  the 
risks  it  was  able  to  take,  the  Exposition  concluded 
to  do  its  own  insurance,  the  details  of  which  pro- 
cedure need  not  be  gone  into  here.  At  this  time 
there  were  a  number  of  pictures,  about  nine  in  all, 
which  had  been  promised  for  the  Loan  Collection  of 
Foreign  Masterpieces,  and  were  not  forthcoming  be- 
cause  of  the  inability  of  the  Exposition  to  procure 
special  insurance  policies  which  had  been  promised 
when,  long  before,  the  owners  of  the  pictures  had 
consented  to  lend  them.  There  seemed  no  way  out 
of  the  difficulty,  when  the  simple  question  was  asked 
of  the  head  of  the  Art  Department,  if  it  was  essen- 
tial to  the  completeness  of  the  Loan  Collection  that 
these  pictures  should  be  in  it  ?  To  which  was  an- 
swered, that  if  not  essential,  it  was   at  least   desir- 


70  SOME   ARTISTS  AT  THE   FAIR  ■ 

able ;  whereat  this  business  man  gave  instructions 
that  the  owners  of  the  pictures  be  at  once  communi- 
cated with  and  informed  that  he  would  personally 
guarantee  them  against  loss  if  they  would  allow  the 
pictures  to  come.  As  this  little  show  of  public  spirit 
involved  a  personal  liability  of  over  two  hundred 
thousand  dollars,  the  figures  may  be  considered  elo- 
quent enough  to  find  place  in  such  a  paper  as  this. 

The  wisdom  of  a  large  policy  is  to  be  found  on 
every  hand.  The  Exposition  has  been  called  a 
dream,  and  as  it  is  so  soon  to  vanish  may  well  be 
one ;  but  if  the  intent  had  been  to  deceive,  it  could 
hardly  have  been  made  more  deceptive.  To  one  in 
the  gondolas  or  the  launches  speeding  between 
these  walls,  they  stand  as  though  for  all  time ;  and 
for  one  walking  in  the  long  arcades,  detail  and 
veracity  of  construction  force  themselves  on  the  at- 
tention most  plausibly.  It  has  been  too  often  de- 
scribed how  the  architects,  adopting  certain  dimen- 
sions, have  obtained  a  conformity  of  effect ;  but  that 
once  obtained,  they  have  shown  the  greatest  free- 
dom, and  though  all  of  them  are  men  of  many 
works,  they  have  never  perhaps  been  more  happily 
inspired.  The  Administration  building  is  the  appro- 
priate crown  to  the  buildings  leading  up  to  it,  and 
Mr.  McKim's  Agricultural  building  is  characterized 
by  great  charm  of  proportion,  and  though  heavily 
charged   with    sculptured  decoration    is   in   nowise 


THE   ART  OF   THE    WHITE   CITY  71 

overloaded.  In  addition  to  the  very  decorative 
sculptures  due  to  Mr.  Martiny,  there  is  on  this  build- 
ing some  of  the  most  satisfactory  ornament  in  purely 
classical  vein  that  I  can  remember  on  any  modern 
structure.  In  fact,  though  the  treatment  of  this 
group  of  buildings  is  thoroughly  classic,  it  is  pleas- 
ant to  record  the  belief  that  in  no  other  country 
would  the  traditions  have  been  so  well  observed  and 
at  the  same  time  so  revivified  as  in  ours.  Our  men 
owe  their  education  to  the  Old  World,  chiefly  to 
France ;  but  it  seems  as  though  a  certain  separation 
from  the  influences  of  their  schools  had  given  them 
an  independence  which  their  foreign  schoolmates 
lack.  It  is  probable  that  had  Paris  in  1889  adopted 
the  programme  followed  here  the  result  would  have 
been- as  correct,  as  thorough,  as  noble  as  this;  but 
the  result  as  a  whole  would  have  been  colder,  and 
lacking  in  the  individual  character  observable  here, 
where  every  man  seems  to  continue  the  tradition 
rather  than  follow  it.  Mr.  Post  had  lono-  accus- 
tomed  us  to  his  capacity  to  build  big  and  well ;  but 
never  to  build  so  big  and  so  well  as  in  the  Liberal 
Arts  buildinor.  When  sailiuQ^  alouQ-  the  lake-front 
one  appreciates  the  immensity  of  the  structure,  which 
seems  to  equal  that  of  all  the  other  buildings  com- 
bined ;  but  near  at  hand  one  feels  its  beautv  more 
than  its  bigness,  and  the  simplicity  by  which  this 
result  is   arrived  at.     The  portals,  taking  almost  all 


72  SOME   ARTISTS  AT  THE  FAIR 

the  decorative  features,  are  admirable.  Mr.  At- 
wood's  Fine  Arts  building  is  perhaps  the  best  where 
all  is  so  good,  owing  almost  nothing  to  its  decora- 
tive features — which,  as  the  building  is  to  be  per- 
manent, one  may  hope  to  see  changed.  The  frieze 
of  the  Parthenon  should  hardly  be  borrowed  to 
oTace  so  fine  a  modern  buildino^.  At  nio^ht  Mr.  At- 
wood's  building  is  seen  in  all  its  beauty  of  propor- 
tion, and  the  nights  when  it  is  illuminated  best  of 
all.  The  torches  running  along  the  top  of  the  build- 
ino-  burn  o'reat  fiiames  of  natural  o'as,  and  the  illumi- 
nation  is  at  once  simple  and  effective.  On  the  roof 
of  the  Administration  buildino-  somethino^  of  the 
same  effect  is  obtained  in  conjunction  with  the  elec- 
tric light  outlining  the  dome ;  but  as  the  torches  on 
the  Fine  Arts  building  are  seen  against  the  sky,  the 
effect  is  finer. 

Night  and  electric  light  play  a  great  part  in  the 
spectacular  side  of  the  Fair.  Solomon  in  all  his 
glory  never  saw  such  a  sight  as  the  plain  people  of 
this  continent  have  had  on  illumination  nights  this 
summer.  Innumerable  incandescent  lights  sparkle 
along  the  cornices  and  pediments ;  the  top  of  the 
wall  inclosino-  the  fjrand  basin  is  outlined  in  fire ; 
search-lights  from  the  top  of  the  Liberal  Arts  build- 
inof  cut  their  wide  swaths  of  lio'ht  in  oriorantic  cir- 
cles,  resting  for  a  moment  here  and  there  to  bring 
out  now  this  detail  or  to  throw  into  dazzling  relief  a 


CENTRAL   PORTION    OF   MACMONNIES    FOUNTAIN — EFFECT    OF   ELECTRIC-LIGHT. 


THE  ART  OF  THE    WHITE   CITY  75 

sculptured  figure  or  beast.  It  lingers  longest  on 
MacMonniess  fountain,  the  fitting  jewel  resting 
lightly  on  the  bosom  of  this  Venetian  beauty  whom 
but  yesterday  we  called  Chicago  ;  and  well  it  may, 
as  in  a  degree  the  fountain  is  the  clou  of  the  Exposi- 
tion. It  seems  but  fair  to  call  this  fountain  the  most 
important  of  all  the  decorative  sculptures.  Every  ex- 
position has  its  great  fountain,  and  the  choice  of  Mr. 
MacMonnies  to  execute  this  one  was  most  happy. 
Our  sculptors  as  a  rule  have  had  too  little  oppor- 
tunity to  exercise  the  decorative  side  of  their  art, 
and  we  do  not  possess  as  does  France  a  small  army 
of  sculptors  who  can  be,  as  they  were  in  '89,  turned 
loose  to  decorate  a  great  exposition  with  groups  and 
figures.  It  demands  not  only  a  decorative  instinct 
but  practice  as  well,  a  certain  habit  of  and  delight 
in  handling  huge  masses  of  form  which  men  who 
are  capable  perhaps  of  graver  and  more  ponderated 
work  may  lack  or  have  lost.  Thus  fifteen  years  ago 
Saint-Gaudens,  fresh  from  school  and  filled  with  its 
traditions,  would  have  in  the  course  of  natural  selec- 
tion been  the  man  for  the  work  ;  but  with  years  and 
widening  experience  it  is  a  question  whether  he 
would  have  undertaken  to  design  and  carry  out  in  the 
short  space  of  time  that  which  his  brilliant  pupil  has 
undertaken  and  carried  throuQ^h  with  all  the  audac- 
ity  and  fire  of  youth,  tempered  by  a  delicacy  of  taste 
which  gives  it  after  all  its  greatest  value.     Anything 


76  SOME  ARTISTS  AT  THE  FAIR 

more  typical  of  the  youth  and  hope  which  we  fondly 
believe  to  be  the  characteristic  of  our  nation  is  hard 
to  conceive  ;  and  if,  as  is  to  be  so  greatly  desired, 
the  monument  is  to  be  made  permanent  (which  the 
completeness  of  the  modelling  of  individual  parts, 
an  unusual  quality  in  works  like  this,  would  render 
easy),  it  might  well  stand  to  represent  an  era.  Mr. 
French's  massive  and  dignified  figure  of  America 
may  be  taken  as  the  matron  of  this  generation,  tried 
and  made  strong  through  war;  but  MacMonnies's 
epitome  of  youth  represents  the  future  of  our  as  yet 
experimental  civilization,  and  though  the  boat  is  pro- 
pelled by  the  arts  and  sciences,  it  is  the  young  girl 
who  fills  such  a  large  part  in  our  experiment  who  is 
really  to  the  fore.  It  is  Smith  and  Wellesley  who 
row  with  the  young  girl  enthroned  ;  and  vogue  laga- 
/ere,w\th.  pleasant  waters  ahead  and  a  safe  port  at  last! 
Of  Mr.  Saint-Gaudens  we  have  only  a  figure  of 
Columbus,  which  he  has  signed  in  collaboration 
with  another  of  his  pupils,  Miss  Mary  G.  Lawrence. 
It  is  a  good  exemplification  of  what  has  already  been 
said  that  at  the  first  glance  this  figure  seems  almost 
out  of  place  here.  It  is  of  a  character — the  highest 
character — of  work  which  depends  on  the  most  seri- 
ous study.  Conception  and  pose  are  reduced  to  the 
simplest,  almost  archaic  form,  and  while  it  does  not 
seem  quite  as  successful,  it  is  of  the  same  family  as 
the  Lincoln  here  in  Chicago  or  the  Deacon  Chapin 


THE   ART   OF   THE    WHITE    CITY  77 

in  Springfield.  The  best  of  the  sculpture  here,  while 
subject  to  the  limitations  twice  mentioned,  has  per- 
haps gained  a  quality  more  essentially  American  by 
the  absence  of  what  may  be  called  the  ready-made 
decorative  quality.  The  quadriga  on  the  Peristyle, 
bv  French  &  Potter,  the  Indian  girl  and  the  bull, 
and  indeed  all  the  fio-ures  and  animals  at  which 
these  artists  have  worked  together,  are  thoroughly 
satisfactory  as  decoration,  and  more  native  and  ap- 
propriate to  our  soil  than  the  lighter  touch  and 
greater  facility  of  the  sculpture  at  the  exhibition  on 
the  Champ  de  Mars  would  have  been. 

The  painters  of  the  band  of  allied  artists  had  the 
more  difficult  task.  In  the  first  place  our  country 
has  arbitrarily  forced  our  painters  to  work  on  a 
miniature  scale,  and  with  little  exception  our  men 
affronted  their  task  with  theory  and  enthusiasm  as 
their  preparation.  The  sculptors  had  at  least  the 
practice  of  modelling  large  works  ;  but  with  the  ex- 
ception of  Mr.  Maynard,  who  has  taken  Pompeian 
motives  and  given  us  under  the  porches  of  the 
Agricultural  building  a  thoroughly  architectural  and 
adequate  decoration  in  which  his  past  experience 
has  rendered  him  service,  the  painters  were  virtually 
winning  their  first  spurs.  Taking  this  into  consid- 
eration their  success  is  marked.  Tried  by  the  stand- 
ard that  the  space  allotted  to  a  decoration  should  be 
filled,  and  filled  by  a  composition  which   could   not 


78  SOME   ARTISTS  AT  THE  FAIR 

serve  within  any  other  shaped  space  than  that  for 
which  it  is  devised,  Mr.  Blashfield's  seems  the  most 
successful.  In  addition  to  this  quality  it  has  great 
charm  of  color  and  dignity  of  conception,  which  lat- 
ter quality,  combined  with  clean,  workmanlike  draw- 
ing, is  shared  by  Mr.  Cox.  Mr.  Reid's  and  Mr.  Weir's 
domes  also  have  charming  qualities,  while  Mr.  Shir- 
law's  gives  one  the  impression  of  a  complete  mastery 
of  his  scheme  and  intention.  At  the  southern  end 
of  the  Liberal  Arts  building,  Mr.  Melchers  and  Mr. 
McEwen  have  large  compositions,  those  of  the  lat- 
ter being  marked  perhaps  by  the  greater  individual- 
ity ;  but  while  they  are  all  (each  painter  having  two 
compositions)  executed  in  a  very  able  manner,  they 
seem  somewhat  lacking  in  spontaneity.  In  another 
part  of  the  grounds  in  the  Women's  building  the 
feminine  contingent  makes  a  brave  show.  Mrs.  Mac- 
Monnies  here  leads  the  van  with  a  composition  sober 
in  line  and  excellent  in  color.  Miss  Cassatt,  having 
apparently  defied  the  laws  of  decoration,  has  divided 
her  space  in  three  parts,  in  each  of  which  she  has 
painted  pictures  which,  from  her  previous  work,  must 
be  judged  to  be  of  excellent  quality,  but  which,  from 
the  height  at  which  they  are  seen  and  by  reason  of 
the  small  scale  of  the  figures,  are  virtually  lost.  But 
this  partial  and  cursory  enumeration  of  what  may  be 
seen  at  the  Fair  could  be  continued  beyond  the  lim- 
its of  an  article  like   this,  and  still  leave   unnamed 


THE  ART  OF  THE    WHITE   CITY  79 

and  apparently  unappreciated  much  that  is  admir- 
able and  more  that  is  hopeful.  Of  the  delights  of 
living  in  the  midst  of  this,  of  seeing  our  people  in 
holiday  trim  and,  albeit,  taking  their  pleasure  some- 
what sadly  and  getting  as  much  instruction  com- 
bined with  it  as  possible,  still  enjoying  it,  much 
could  be  said.  No  mention  has  been  made  of  the 
State  buildings,  which  give,  however,  so  much  char- 
acter to  the  grounds.  New  York's  imperial  palace, 
bright  and  luxurious,  is  flanked  on  one  side  by  Mas- 
sachusetts's  staid  and  trim  reproduction  of  John 
Hancock's  mansion,  with  additions  of  a  character 
which  must  temper  the  smile  of  gentle  reproof  with 
which  it  regards  its  frivolous  neighbor ;  while  on  the 
other  stands  Pennsylvania's  broad  piazzaed  home 
which  shelters  the  Liberty  bell.  New  Jersey  repro- 
duces a  colonial  *'  Head  -  quarters  "  mansion,  and 
Washington  is  big  and  new  and  booming ;  Cali- 
fornia shows  her  fruits  and  extols  her  wines  in  a  low- 
lying  structure  which  recalls  the  adobe  missions  of 
her  first  settlers ;  and  each  and  every  State  has  here 
its  home,  first  for  its  own  people  and  then  for  the 
neio-hbors.  Strano^e  neio^hbors  we  have  too,  for  the 
Midway  Plaisance  is  not  far  away  with  its  turban ed, 
sandalled,  greased,  and  befeathered  inhabitants,  with 
its  German  and  Austrian  bands,  its  great  difference 
of  tongues  and  great  similarity  of  ctiisine.  The  out- 
door life  which  is  made  so  much  of  in  Europe  here 


80  SOME  ARTISTS  AT  THE   FAIR 

seems  unappreciated  ;  the  numberless  cafes  and  out- 
of-door  restaurants  which  make  up  so  much  of  the 
comfort  with  which  one  sees  an  exposition  there  still 
"  leave  to  be  desired  "  here.  But  these  are  details 
and  of  things  earthy.  The  moral  of  the  tale  is  short 
and  easily  read. 

Our  work-a-day  nation  awakened,  it  has  been 
frequently  said,  to  knowledge  of  the  existence  of  art 
as  a  factor  in  life  at  Philadelphia  seventeen  years 
ago,  and  here  and  now  attains  as  it  were  its  major- 
ity. We  may  leave  out  our  exhibit  in  the  Fine  Arts 
building  proper,  with  the  mere  registration  of  the 
fact  that  by  general  consent  it  holds  its  own  as  well 
or  better  than  close  students  of  our  art  have  known 
that  it  has  done  for  several  years  past.  The  exhibi- 
tion, or  that  part  controlled  by  the  Columbian  Com- 
mission, is  our  best  sign  of  progress,  nay,  of  achieve- 
ment. It  has  proved  that  throughout  the  land  when 
occasion  arises  to  build,  to  carve,  or  to  paint,  we 
have  the  men  to  do  it.  Art  hath  her  victories  no^ 
less  than  commerce ;  the  qualities  which  have  given 
us  our  place  among  nations,  now  that  the  struggle  is 
past,  are  turned  in  gentler  paths  ;  and  that  which  was 
prophecy  so  short  a  time  ago  is  now  truth  realized : 

"  Following  the  sun,  westward  the  march  of  power, 
The  rose  of  might  blooms  in  our  new-world  mart ; 
But  see  just  bursting  forth  from  bud  to  flower 
A  late,  slow  m-owth,  the  fairer  rose  of  art." 


FOREGROUND  AND  VISTA 
AT  THE  FAIR 

By  W.  Hamilton  Gibson 


Y  the  time  this  brief  sketch  shall 
have  appeared  in  print  the  world's 
greatest  international  fair  will 
have  thrown  open  its  gates  to 
the  impatient  multitudes,  and  mill- 
ions will  have  looked  with  rapture 
upon  its  impressive  perspectives  of  pal- 
aces and  enjoyed  their  treasures.  Even 
to  the  great  general  public,  who  are  as 
yet  awaiting  with  eager  anticipation  the 
indispensable  outing  at  the  Fair,  its  surpassing  ar- 
chitectural features  are  already  enticingly  familiar. 
The  "  White  City  "  is  already  a  heritage  of  delight 
and  inspiration  to  a  vast  multitude  who  have  spent 
their  available  days  beneath  the  spell  of  its  enchant- 
ment. 

It  is  no  small  thing  thus  to  have  penetrated  the 
veil,  as  it  were,  as  is  here  actually  done  for  many — 


82  SOME   ARTISTS  AT  THE  FAIR 

to  have  materialized  a  vision — to  have  embodied  a 
paradise.  The  "  Heavenly  City,"  the  "  New  Jerusa- 
lem," with  gates  of  gold  and  pearl,  which  in  one 
questionable  shape  or  another  hovers  in  the  hope- 
ful, faithful  fancy  of  so  many  of  the  sons  of  Adam 
will  here  find  a  realization,  supplanting  or  exalting 
the  ideal  which  has  hitherto  not  always  been  to  the 
glory  of  Heaven. 

But  in  thus  paying  tribute  to  the  architect  we 
are  perhaps  unconsciously  crediting  him  with  more 
than  his  due ;  certainly  more  than  he  would  him- 
self claim.  Of  what  avail  were  beautiful  palaces 
if  they  could  not  be  seen  ?  and  how  easily  might 
such  an  assemblage  of  heroic  structures  such  as 
these  at  Jackson  Park,  as  in  previous  similar  exposi- 
tions, have  been  so  disposed,  with  relation  to  each 
other  and  their  environment,  as  to  have  completely 
lost  not  only  their  individual  impressiveness  but  the 
infinite  advantage  of  their  imposing  ensemble. 

We  traverse  the  winding  lagoon  for  an  hour  in 
continual  delight,  every  passing  moment,  every 
quiet  turn  of  our  launch  or  gondola  beneath  arching 
bridge  or  jutting  revetement  opening  up  in  either 
direction  new  and  ravishing  vistas  of  architectural 
beauty.  Yet  how  little  have  we  considered  that  the 
very  means  of  our  enjoyment,  the  pure  blue  water- 
way upon  which  our  gondola  so  listlessly  floats,  is 
the  crowning  artifice  by  which  the  work  of  the  archi- 


FOREGROUND   AND    VISTA    AT  THE   FAIR  83 

tect  is  glorified — a  very  triumph  and  inspiration  in 
the  great  scheme  of  landscape — say  rather  water- 
scape— gardening,  which  has  made  this  Columbian 
Fair  a  unique  model  for  all  others  of  its  kind.  I 
think  it  is  conceded  by  the  architects  of  the  Fair  that 
in  no  way  are  its  buildings  to  be  seen  to  such  satis- 
faction or  full  effect  as  from  the  lagoon.  And  it  is 
well  to  remember,  if  only  as  an  instructive  object- 
lesson,  as  we  glide  upon  this  liquid  street,  how 
much  of  our  present  enjoyment  is  due  to  the  fore- 
thought of  a  supreme  design,  which,  even  before  a 
single  foundation-wall  was  laid,  had  taken  into  ac- 
count the  most  effective  grouping  of  the  architect- 
ural features. 

More  than  this,  too,  how  many  of  these  fortunate 
architects  must  have  realized  the  rare  satisfaction  of 
having  builded  better  than  they  knew,  when  for  the 
first  time  they  viewed  their  works  from  the  vantage 
point  afforded  by  their  collaborator,  the  landscape 
artist,  and  saw  these  superb  creations  given  back  to 
them  in  twofold  beauty  from  the  clear  mirror  of  the 
lagoon.  The  unique  character  and  important  inno- 
vation of  this  lagoon  feature  may  be  inferred  when 
we  consider  that  we  have  here  an  Exposition  cover- 
ing over  five  hundred  and  fifty  acres,  comfortably 
filled  to  its  limits  with  the  ample  buildings,  and  yet 
no  vehicles  are  to  be  allowed  within  its  enclosure, 
and  none  will  be  required.     The  circuitous  elevated 


railroad  will  of  course  trans- 
port the  multitudes ;  while 
by  the  interior  skilful  distri- 
bution of  the  water-ways,  rip- 
pling with  gayly  caparisoned 
gondolas  by  the  score,  and  a 
hundred  trim  electric  launch- 
es and  other  equally  pictu- 
resque craft,  every  portion  of 
the  grounds  will  be  easily 
accessible.  The  entire  circuit 
on  this  water  -  course,  from 
any  given  point,  will  occupy 
nearly  an  hour.  The  luxu- 
rious tourist  arriving  at  his 
destination  is  invited  at  the 
water's  edge  by  ascending 
terraces  of  marble  steps,  their  balustrades  on  either 
side   overtopped   by   picturesque    masses   of  tropic 


THE  BORDER  OF  THE  LAGOON. 


FOREGROUND  AND    VISTA   AT  THE  FAIR  85 

and  other  luxuriant  vegetation.  Huge  bronze-like 
agaves  surmount  the  lofty  marble  urns ;  cannas, 
musas,  caladiums,  in  most  effective  and  artistic 
groups,  are  dispersed  among  broad  expanses  of 
velvety  sward,  begemmed  with  parterres  of  brill- 
iant bloom. 

But  it  is  not  alone  in  these  picturesque  settings 
of  lawn  and  garden  which  everywhere  abound 
throughout  the  grounds  that  we  find  our  fullest  ap- 
preciation of  the  landscape  art.  In  the  spell  of  these 
imposing  structures,  towering  above  the  revetement 
walls  on  each  side  as  we  traverse  the  lagoon,  we 
had  utterly  ignored  another  feature  of  its  banks,  or 
perhaps  had  our  attention  only  momentarily  in- 
veigled thither  by  the  invitation  of  the  bevy  of 
snowy  ducks  or  geese  or  graceful  swans  hastening 
from  our  prow,  and  gliding  beneath  the  overhang- 
ing boughs  of  feathery  gray  willows.  Here  indeed 
is  a  haven  for  a  tired  soul,  a  fairy  realm  whose  mod- 
est charms  are  apt  to  be  overlooked  in  the  claims  of 
the  overwhelming  architectural  surroundings.  But 
sooner  or  later  its  restful  refuge  will  be  discovered 
and  w^elcomed.  How  many  a  foot- sore  mortal, 
weary  from  the  very  excess  of  enthusiasm,  will  seek 
this  quiet  retirement,  content  for  the  moment  to 
consign  the  architect  to  the  accessory  place  of  vista 
and  horizon,  while  he  roams  and  pries  and  muses 
among  the   labyrinthian   paths,  fragrant  bowers,  and 


86 


SOME   ARTISTS  AT  THE  FAIR 


?i7-"\     A     BIT     OF    THE     CALI- 
J'       FORNIAN    BUILDING. 


^3 


„  3 


shadowy  glades,  and  along  the  reedy  flowery  bor- 
ders of  this   sylvan   fairy  island,  which   the  artistic 

genius  of  Olmsted  and  Codman 
has  here,  in   two  short  years, 
conjured    up   like    magic 
from   the  muddy,   dreary 
marsh. 

Connected  to  the  main- 
W  land  by  a  half-dozen  spans 
of  bridges,  it  is  readily  ac- 
cessible from  any  approach. 
It  is  a  realm  of  strangle  in- 
consistencies  and  surprises, 
harmonies  and  pleasant 
discords,  unified  with  the  rarest  skill.  The 
familiar  park  or  garden  at  one  moment,  its 
^  curving  walks  encircling  more  or  less — gen- 
'^  erally  less — conventional  parterre,  diversified 
with  closely  bedded  mosaic  of  bright  blossoms ; 
and  now  a  path  leading  us  between  high  walls  of 
blossom-laden  shrubbery,  skirting  a  rustic  arbor,  or 
winding  beneath  the  shade  of  tall,  dense  branches 
of  trees,  which,  however  at  home  they  may  appear, 
so  wonderfully  has  the  skill  of  the  landscapist  con- 
cealed his  artifice,  are  still  almost  as  much  strangers 
to  the  soil  as  ourselves ;  the  adjustment  and  group- 
ing giving  the  complete  illusion  of  nature's  random 
planting. 


FOREGROUND  AND    VIST  A   AT  THE   FAIR 


87 


Only  a  very  few  of  the  thousands  of  trees  upon 
this  "  wooded  island  " — medium-sized  white-oaks — 
are  native  tenants  of  the  place.  Only  two  years  ago 
isolated  in  the  more  elevated  dunes  of  a  great  mo- 
rass, they  now  find  themselves  in  strange  company ; 


THE    CALIFORNIAN    BUILDING. 


the  soil  from  the  bed  of  the  lagoon,  having  levelled 
the  former  slopes  about  their  feet,  is  now  peopled 
with  individuals  as  large  as  themselves.  Many  a 
rare  nook  upon  the  island's  borders  would  defy  the 
critical  scrutiny  of  the  botanist  or  artist  to  detect  a 
single  tell-tale  evidence  of  artifice.  Would  you  step 
from  the  conventional  park  to   the  wild  garden  in 


88 


SOME   ARTISTS  AT  THE  FAIR 


ten  paces  ?  Follow  me  through  this  winding  path, 
embowered  with  its  snowy  banks  of  spiraea.  Pry 
your  way  here  beneath  the  branches.  A  few  more 
steps,  and  the  ripples  gleam  through  the  branches 
:;  before  us,  and  we  emerge 

at  the  water's  edge  be- 


A   COVE   IN   WOODED   ISLAND. 


"*i^:~ 


neath  a  tangle  of  wil- 
lows, while  a  brood  of 
white  ducks,  disturbed  at 
our  approach,  glide  out 
upon  the  mill-pond  —  for 
such  indeed  is  the  irresisti- 
ble association  from  the  surroundings.  This  hap- 
hazard chaos  of  willows  and  alders  disarms  all  sus- 
picion of  artificial  planting.  We  already  anticipate 
the  scene  at  the  brink,  and  as  we  press  our  way 
among  the  yielding  oziers,  find  ourselves   listening 


FOREGROUND  AND    VISTA   AT    THE  FAIR  89 

for  the  familiar  "  c-r-o-n-k  "  among  the  spatter- 
docks. 

In  a  moment  more  we  confront  a  tiny  cove  bor- 
dered with  sedges  and  tall  bulrushes,  and  intermin- 
gled gray-green  willows  and  alders,  while  the  water 
beneath  is  hidden  by  dense  clumps  of  lush  pickerel- 
weed,  luxuriant  in  their  feathery  spikes  of  azure 
bloom.  A  tiny  sportive  frog  leaps  from  the  border 
mud,  and  a  dragon-fly  darts  past  on  shimmering 
wing. 

It  is  only  as  we  contemplate  the  vista  across  the 
water  that  we  realize  the  beautiful  deception  as 
yonder  beetling  dome,  in  its  gilded  splendor,  or  sun- 
lit palaces  everywhere  gleaming  through  the  waters 
are  brought  to  our  feet  in  ripples  from  gliding  gon- 
dola, swan,  or  duck. 

Was  ever  border-tangle  brushed  by  mill-pond 
raft  or  fishing-punt  more  wild  or  spontaneous  than 
this  !  Foreo^round  and  vista  in  endless  combination 
and  surprise  greet  us  as  we  follow  our  course  about 
the  shore,  with  Flora's  own  wild  calendar  from  week 
to  week.  Here  a  secluded  harbor,  bristling  with  ar- 
rowheads and  white  with  its  spires  of  bloom,  its 
sedgy  banks  aflame  with  cardinal  flowers,  whose 
scarlet  reflections  mingle  with  the  snowy  glints  from 
the  sunlit  facade  or  spangling  flashes  from  the  crys- 
tal dome  across  the  water.  Here  we  invade  the 
sheltered  retreat  of  a  bittern  or  small  heron,  which 


90  SOME  ARTISTS  AT  THE  FAIR 

stalks  away  with  ruffled  temper  at  our  intrusion. 
Creeping  between  the  neighboring  bank  of  alders, 
we  emerge  upon  a  sequestered  nook  shut  off  from 
the  main  lagoon  by  a  small,  straggling  islet,  plumy 
with  willows  and  sedges,  the  main  banks  fringed 
with  rushes  and  burr-marigolds  and  tall  galingales 
that  wave  their  graceful  heads  above  a  wild  garden 
of  blossoming  blue  flag.  In  and  out  among  its  wil- 
lows beyond,  the  ever-present  fleet  of  ducks  glides 
among  the  dancing  ripples,  or  snow-white  swans 
"  float  double — swan  and  shadow,"  as  in  the  en- 
chanted vision  of  "  St.  Mary's  Isle." 

As  we  leave  this  beguiling  haunt  the  air  is  sud- 
denly bewitched  wdth  entrancing  perfume,  and  our 
fancy  lit  with  luminous  visions  of  the  Orient  from 
the  great  golden  doorway  which  glows  through  the 
branches  from  the  opposite  brink  and  floods  the 
water  with  its  liquid  replica.  Attar  of  roses  !  One 
such  inviting  whifl"  is  sufficient.  Leaving  the  water's 
edge  we  return  toward  the  interior  of  the  island,  and 
are  soon  confronted  by  the  wonderful  rose-garden 
wherein  are  assembled  all  the  roses  of  the  world, 
with  their  thousands  of  varieties.  Roses  single 
and  double,  pink  roses,  white  roses,  roses  yellow, 
crimson,  orange,  and  saffron,  and,  indeed,  of  every 
hue  but  blue,  mingling  their  beauty  and  their  fra- 
grance in  an  acre  of  bloom,  and  sprinkling  the 
ground  in  showers  of  petals  with  every  breeze. 


THR   EDGE    OF    THE    ROSE    GARDEN, 
WOODED    ISLAND. 


The  now  famous  rose- 
garden  lies  in  the  southern 
end  of  the  island,  approached 
through  winding  walks,  gar- 
landed with  flowery  shrubs 
of  every  habit  and  hue,  of  grace- 
ful blossom  -  burdened  spiraeas, 
drooping  as  with  a  weight  of  snow, 
or  varied  with  rare  foliaged  plants 
which  vie  with  the  flowers  in  the 
endless  play  of  their  brilliant  colors. 
Through  the  skilful  foresight  and  planning  of  Mr. 
John  Thorpe,  the  custodian  of  this  realm  dedicated 
to  Flora,  the  fair  goddess  has  crowned  him  with  a 
new  decoration  of  wreath  or  laurel  for  every  week. 


92 


SOME  ARTISTS  AT  THE   FAIR 


from  the  earliest  yellow  glow  of 
May  to  the  brilliant  maples 
and  the  final  au- 
tumnal glory  of  the 
chrysanthemum. 
Japonica !  Ja- 
p  o  n  i  c  a  !  How 
continually  does 
the  spirit  of  the 
flowery  land  hover 
here!  It  is,  indeed, 
scarcely  a  surprise  that 
the  actual,  familiar  out- 
lines of  its  quaint  mas- 
sive gables  suddenly  con- 
fronts us,  looking  down 
above  a  mass  of  the  Mi- 
kado's own  chrysanthemum,  and  we  suddenly  find 
ourselves  transported  to  Tokio  or  Yokohama,  sur- 
rounded by  a  veritable  epitome  of  Japan,  embracing 
all  the  actual  features,  floral,  ornamental,  and  utili- 
tarian, with  which,  through  the  educational  influence 
of  painted  fan  and  screen  and  household  gods  of 
vase  and  kakemono,  we  have  become  so  pleasantly 
familiar. 

The  long,  low-roofed,  wooden  temple  is  sur- 
rounded from  its  foundation  by  a  characteristic  ter- 
raced garden,  embracing  many  examples  of  those 


JAPANESE    BUILDING    ON    WOODED    ISLAND. 


FOREGROUND  AND    VISTA    AT  THE   FAIR 


93 


"  precious  goods  done  up  in  small  parcels,"  which 
have  always  been  the  particular  fad  of  the  Japanese 
horticulturist — tiny  giants  of  trees,  so  to  speak,  ar- 
ranged in  miniature  parks,  which,  for  the  moment, 
make  the  beholder  seem  to  be  upon  a  mighty  cliff  or 
in  flight  with  the  soaring  falcon,  else  how  could  he 
thus  gaze  down  upon  the  summit  of  such  a  huge, 
lofty  pine  as  this  which  he  now  sees  beneath  him  ! 
A  fine  example  of  one  of  these  arboreal  paradoxes  is 
to  be  seen  in  the  Japanese  exhibit  in  the  Horticult- 
ural Building — an  aged  dwarf  of  an  '  arbor  vitce 
[Tht/ja]  like  a  gigantic  cedar  of  Lebanon,  which, 
while  having  all  the  inherent  characteristics  of  an 
actual  age  and  dignity  of  over  one  hundred  years, 
is  still,  with  the  big  vase  which  it  occupies,  barely 
the  heieht  of  one's  shoulders. 


AN  AGED  JAPANESE  DWARF,  ONE  HUN- 
DRED YEARS  OLD  —  A  CORNER  OF  THE 
HORTICULTURAL   BUILDING. 


94  SOME  ARTISTS  AT  THE  FAIR 

In  no  structure  within  the  grounds  is  the  out- 
ward expression  so  sympathetically  reflective  of  its 
architectural  purpose  as  in  the  Fisheries  Building. 
Itself  reflected  in  the  blue  lagoon,  in  its  architect- 
ural functions  and  sculptural  ornament,  it  in  turn  re- 
flects the  lacustrine  life  of  the  waters,  which  not  only 
almost  lave  its  foundation  walls  but  actually  pour 
into  its  interior  in  fountain  and  cascade  and  gigantic 
aquaria.  As  we  follow  around  these  green  trans- 
lucent walls  within,  our  passage  lit  only  from  the 
diffused  light  transmitted  from  above  the  water,  we 
can  almost  fancy  ourselves  walking  on  the  actual 
river-bed,  ogled  by  familiar  forms  of  sun-fish,  perch, 
or  pickerel ;  or  perhaps  wandering  as  in  a  dream 
amono"  fair  ocean  caves  abloom  with  brilliant  sea- 
anemones,  and  embowered  with  mimic  groves  of 
branching  corals  and  all  manner  of  softly  swaying 
sea-weed — graceful  crimson  laminaria  reaching  to 
the  surface  of  the  water,  responding  in  serpentine 
grace  to  the  soft  invasion  of  waving  fin.  Rare  liv- 
ing gems  of  fishes,  very  butterflies  of  the  deep,  float 
past  flashing  in  iridescence  with  every  subtile  turn 
of  their  painted  bodies.  Star-fish,  at  first  apparently 
stationary,  as  though  in  mid-water,  glide  across  the 
illusive  plane  of  glass,  with  their  thousand  fringy 
discs  of  feet.  Strange  crabs  and  mollusks  and 
bivalves  sport  on  the  pebbly  bottoms,  and  porten- 
tous  monsters,  with  great  gaping  mouths,  threaten 


FOREGROUND  AND    VISTA    AT  THE  FAIR 


95 


O'^i^iati'V^     ^ . 


US  as  they  emerge  from  their  nebulous  obscurity  and 
steal  to  within  a  few  inches  of  our  faces. 

All  of  its  interior  ichthyological  features  might 
have  been  anticipated  even  at  the 
threshold  of  the  building,  with  its 
rich  and  effective  portals,  where 
so  many  of  these  very  forms  are 
seen  petrified  in  surface  orna- 
ment. The  building'  is  in  the 
form  of  a  rectanoular  central 
structure  with  two  octaQ;onal 
annexes,  each  with  its  own 
beautiful  portal,  and  con- 
nected to  the  main  edifice 
by  curved  colonnades,  with 
arch  and  balustrade — portal  and  pillar,  capital,  en- 
tablature and  arch  and  panel — everywhere  sculpt- 
ured with  ornaments  whose  themes  are  drawn  from 
the  subaqueous  life  to  which  the  building  is  dedi- 
cated. The  very  balcony  upon  which  we  lean  is 
supported  by  columns  composed  of  four  ingeniously 
and  gracefully  interlocked  dolphins,  while  the  pillars 
on  rio^ht  and  left  and  throughout  the  entire  exterior 
suggest  curious  geometric  fossils  from  the  deeps. 
Here  a  spiral  procession  of  huge  toads,  whose  un- 
couth shapes  thus  embodied  in  conventional  orna- 
ment are  singularly  agreeable  and  effective.  Each 
successive  pillar  is  a  study  alike  for  the  naturalist  or 


PORTAL    OF    THE    FISHERIES    BUILD- 
ING. 


96  SOME   ARTISTS  AT  THE   FAIR 

designer — here  a  sinuous  procession  of  river-horses 
(hippocampus),  the  incurved  tail  forming  a  volute 
repeated  with  pleasant  effect  in  the  spiral  bands  of 
ornament.  Accommodating  star -fishes  embrace 
their  respective  pillars,  touching  points  in  geomet- 
ric design.  Here  are  eels  and  fishes  meandering 
among  bulrushes  and  arrowheads.  Lizards,  crabs, 
and  turtles,  each  combine  in  effective  ornament  about 
their  particular  columns,  which  are  surmounted  by 
capitals  of  even  greater  ingenuity  and  effectiveness 
of  design,  perhaps  because  less  geometric.  Gaping 
frogs  leaping  among  water-weeds ;  lobsters  captive 
and  sprawling  in  their  wicker  *'  pots ; "  fishes  en- 
tangled in  the  meshes  of  nets,  or  engaged  in  mor- 
tal combat,  their  gaping  mouths  finely  utilized  in 
effective  points  of  shadow — the  modelling  of  each 
and  all  suggests  the  perfection  of  a  cast  from  nat- 
ure. To  those  who  look  for  a  happy  blending  of  ar- 
chitectural purpose  and  harmonious  ornament,  this 
building  will  be  a  welcome  innovation.  To  the 
naturalist  or  the  idler  in  quest  of  the  mere  pict- 
uresque, the  Fisheries  Building  with  its  wandering 
facade  and  colonnade,  its  roof  of  ruddy  tiles  and  al- 
most Moresque  richness  of  surface  ornament  in 
high  relief,  will  be  found  well  worth  careful  study. 

How  many  are  the  obvious  natural  themes  yet 
awaiting  their  sculptured  memorial  in  the  temple  of 
architecture.     Must  the  classical  and  testy  acanthus 


FOREGROUND   AND    VISTA    AT  THE  FAIR 


97 


forever  guard  that  ex- 
alted  basket   unchal- 
lenged, and    the 
antique,     indeed 
almost    palseon- 
tolooic    lotus 
forever    keep 
us     oblivious 
to  the  abound- 
ing' wealth  of 
natural  sue- 


Q-estion 


.-"v-. 


ELKHORN  FERN,  A  SUGGES- 
TION FOR  AN  ARCHITECT 
— IN  THE  AUSTRALIAN  EX- 
HIBIT, HORTICULTURAL 
HALL. 


of  even  surpassing 
opportunity  ?  What 
a  rare  suggestion  for  a 


"^s 


^'"-^ 


national  architectural  theme,  for  instance,  has  nature 
thus  far  wasted  on  the  wilderness  in  that  elk-horn 
fern  of  Australia,  which  forms  one  of  the  most  con- 


98  SOME  ARTISTS  AT  THE   FAIR 

spicuous  features  of  the  arboreal  exhibit  of  that  land 
of  tropic  contradictions  and  zoological  anomalies. 
Where  can  there  be  found  another  such  ready-made 
and  graceful  model  for  a  massive  capital  ? 

Had  this  remarkable  plant  chanced  to  have  been 
a  native  of  ancient  Egypt  or  Rome  or  Greece,  it  is 
difficult  to  conceive  of  its  having  escaped  being  im- 
mortalized in  stone.  Will  the  future  national  archi- 
tecture of  Australia  ever  embody  its  opportunities  ? 
Here  is  a  veritable  capital  of  clustered  fern-forms, 
springing  in  graceful  relief  from  a  solid  sculptured 
base.  In  some  of  the  examples  shown  it  simply  sur- 
rounds the  trunk  upon  which  it  is  a  parasite,  and  in 
others,  the  architectural  suggestion  is  heightened  by 
the  cluster  appearing  at  the  summit  of  its  pillar,  the 
dead  continuation  of  the  trunk  above  having  fallen. 

Superlative  anticipation  of  our  hopes  is  often 
disastrous  to  their  full  realization.  But  no  such  dan- 
ger awaits  the  visitor  to  the  Columbian  Fair.  The 
most  extreme  glorification  of  this  superb  achieve- 
ment at  Chicago  still  leaves  us  the  superlative  of 
actual  experience. 

Dull  indeed  must  be  the  intelligence  which  fails 
to  respond  to  the  vision  of  beauty  which  the  genius 
of  architecture  has  here  created.  Whatever  oblivion 
may  await  the  other  features  of  the  Exposition,  the 
fame  of  the  architect  is  secure.    Even  though  in  their 


FOREGROUND  AND    VISTA    AT  THE  FAIR  99 

substance  his  creations  here  are  but  as  the  flowers 
of  a  day,  to  be  cut  down  ere  the  coming  of  winter, 
their  very  evanescence  constitutes  their  most  abid- 
ing charm. 

Though  we  may  spend  weeks  in  the  enjoyment 
of  the  unexampled  treasures  within  these  walls,  con- 
fusion will  at  leno'th  claim  most  of  our  minor  rem- 
iniscences,  and  the  winnowing  process  of  the  years 
will  at  last  leave  few  tokens.  But  the  glamour  of 
this  celestial  city,  this  throng  of  ethereal  palaces  hov- 
ering between  sky  and  sky,  buoyant  as  with  uplift- 
ing archangel  wings  from  dome  and  pinnacle  and 
acroteria — these  will  abide  to  the  end  of  our  days. 


/      I 


THE   PICTURESQUE  SIDE 

By  F.  Hopkinson  Smith 

L 

A  BLAZING  sun  and  a  clear  limpid  sky,  a  long 
lagoon,  gray-green  and  silver,  a  noble  flight 
of  steps  serving  as  water-landing  for  half  a 
dozen  gay-colored  gondolas,  a  grand  balustrade  pro- 
tecting a  broad  platform  leading  to  the  porch  and 
entrance  of  the  most  exquisitely  beautiful  building 
of  modern  times — the  Art  Palace  of  the  Great  Ex- 
position ! 

From  the  corner  of  this  balustrade  a  red  rao-  of 
an  awning,  torn   from  an  old  tarpaulin,  is  stretched 


THE   PICTURESQUE   SIDE  101 

to  an  oar,  its  black  shadow  spilling  down  the  white 
steps.  Under  this  awning,  flat  on  his  back,  sound 
asleep,  lies  a  gondolier,  fresh  from  Venice.  Despite 
his  nondescript  costume  of  brigand's  leggings  and 
cavalier's  cap  I  cannot  mistake  that  broad  chest  and 
sunny  face,  the  crisp  black  hair,  and  the  fine  lines  of 
the  throat  and  thigh. 

"  Espero  !  "  I  call  out  in  glad  surprise. 

"  Commandi  Signore^'  comes  the  quick  reply,  as 
he  springs  to  his  feet. 

Other  gondoliers  join  us :  Marco,  who  at  home 
plys  a  boat  at  the  Traghetto,  just  above  the  Salute  ; 
and  Luigi,  who  for  five  years  past  has  won  at  the 
Annual  Regatta  on  the  Grand  Canal — a  superb  fel- 
low is  Luigi,  as  handsome  as  a  Venetian,  and  every 
inch  a  gondolier;  and  Francesco,  his  brother,  first 
gondolier  to  the  Countess,  whose  palace  fronts  the 
Accademia.  For  the  instant  I  am  in  Venice  again, 
while  they  all  talk  to  me  at  once,  telling  me  of  their 
friends  and  mine  whom  we  have  known  there — sub- 
jects far  more  absorbing  than  all  the  surprises  of  this 
new  world.  Five  minutes  later  we  are  swinging  up 
the  Lagoon,  Marco  bending  his  oar  aft,  Espero  on 
the  cushions  beside  me. 

There  is  to  me  a  seeming  fitness  in  entering  the 
Court  of  Honor  reclining  in  a  gondola  and  rowed  by 
a  gondolier.  No  other  craft  that  floats  could  so  per- 
fectly harmonize  with  these  surroundings ;  none  so 


102 


SOME  ARTISTS  AT  THE  FAIR 


'^ 


THE    PERISTYLE. 


dainty,  so  graceful,  so  dignified.    There  are  no  other 
oarsmen  who  could  move  with  such  ease  and  finish. 

_     ^ These  stately 

L|         *  ^^'M     water-birds    of 

';  Venice  and  their 
masters  add, too, 
an  element  of 
the  picturesque. 
They  are  to  the 
lagoons    what 

the  flowers   are 

to  the  espla- 
nades, or  the  swans  to  the  smaller  inlets.  The 
launches,  noiseless  as  they  are,  seem  out  of  place 
here  and  jar  upon  your  senses ;  they  are  too  new, 
too  suggestive  of  progress  and  revenue  and  time- 
saving.  But  the  gondola  revives  the  traditions  and 
customs  of  those  earlier  centuries,  when  this  great 
White  City  of  the  Lake  was  still  in  its  glory.  More- 
over, it  is  the  only  sort  of  princely  craft  which  these 
noble  families,  whom  you  feel  sure  have  lived  for 
centuries  in  these  great  palaces,  could  use  in  their 
magnificent  goings  and  comings. 

For  whenever  I  stand  on  the  bridge  of  the  Per- 
istyle and  look  across  the  Court  of  Honor,  surren- 
dering myself  to  the  magic  spell  of  its  beauty,  I  can- 
not help  yielding  to  the  conviction  that  this  noble 
quadrangle    is    surrounded    by   palaces   of    marble 


■f  '»-T?"sr^^s 


i    } 


f  I  rt  >;--|!in|i  i  III 


1 

tKM^ 


^ 


HHkl^ 


DISTANT    VIEW    OF    DOME    OF    THE    HORTICULTURAL    BUILDING. 


THE  PICTURESQUE   SIDE  105 

which  have  taken  centuries  to  perfect ;  that  the 
grounds  and  walks,  stretches  of  grass,  masses  of 
flowering  plants,  and  bold  colossal  statues  have  all 
been  added  from  time  to  time,  as  in  other  palace 
gardens  of  old,  when  opportunity  or  royal  whim  dic- 
tated ;  that  this  great  city  was  built  ages  ago,  long 
before  the  time  of  the  Greeks,  who  modelled  their 
own  temples  along  their  classic  lines ;  and  that  not 
only  were  its  builders  the  ablest  and  most  learned 
men  of  all  ages,  but  that  their  descendants,  those 
who  live  beneath  these  roofs,  are  the  wisest,  the 
most  cultured,  and  the  most  artistic  men  and  women 
of  their  time. 

To  me,  moreover,  the  City  is  never  evanescent 
nor  unreal ;  never  like  a  house  built  upon  the  sands. 
It  is,  when  I  look  at  it  in  amazed  delight,  not  only 
entirely  genuine,  but  firm  and  solid  as  the  marble 
which  it  resembles.  It  is  too  vast,  and  the  elements 
of  atmosphere,  perspective  and  proportion,  enter  too 
largely  into  its  ensemble  to  make  it  appear  other 
than  genuine.  When,  for  instance,  you  stand  in 
Athens,  near  the  Parthenon,  and  your  eye  falls  on  a 
broken  column  at  your  feet,  you  see  that  it  is  marble, 
and  you  know  that  it  is  heavy.  But  without  this 
sample  stone  in  the  foreground,  and  your  knowledge 
of  the  character  and  quality  of  the  material,  the 
whole  temple  is  to  you,  from  where  you  look,  only 
a  film  of  light,  now  ivory,  now  alabaster,  now  lost  in 


106 


SOME  ARTISTS  AT  THE   FAIR 


purple  shadows.  Here,  about  the  White  City,  there 
is  no  broken  column  as  an  eye  test,  there  are  only 
superb  fagades,  reaching  skyward,  and  great  stretches 
of  columns  and  arches,  relieved  by  gilded  domes 
and  sculptured  frieze.  They  are  never  close  to  you 
— no  comprehensive  view  is  possible  nearer  than 
two  hundred  feet,  and  who  can  tell  "staff"  from 
marble  at  that  distance — but  far  away,  across  the 
shimmer  of  the  Lagoon,  or  over  the  massing  of  foli- 
ao-e  or  clustered  roofs. 

There  is,  in  addition  to  all  this  element  of  reality, 
a  reality  which  every  one  must  feel  for  himself,  still 
another  charm  —  an  undefinable  quality  that  con- 
stantly surprises  and  delights  you.  To  this  is  united 
a   majestic  picturesqueness   investing    these    superb 

palaces  and 
royal  gardens 
with  a  distinc- 
'  tion  never  at- 
tained by  any 
of  their  prede- 
;  cessors.  This 
i  does  not  seem 
to  be  due  so 
much  to  colos- 
sal proportions 
nor  to  the  never-ending  series  of  buildings  piled  one 
behind  the  other,  as  to  the  skill  shown  by  architects 


DOME    OF    HORTICULTURAL    BUILDING    AT    NIGHT. 


IN    OLD    VIENNA. 


THE   PICTURESQUE   SIDE  109 

and  landscape  gardeners  in  the  general  plan.     Es- 
pecially is  this  charm  felt  in  the  absence  of  rectan- 
gular lines  of  construction ;  in   the  winding  in  and 
out  of  the  lagoons ;  in  the  neglected  fringing  of  un- 
trimmed  foliage  skirting  the  water's  edge ;    in  the 
half  submerged   bits    of    islands   where   the    ducks 
plume  their  feathers ;    in  the  informal  formality  of 
great   massing  of  plants ;    in  the  dotting  of  broad 
stretches  of  gray-green  water  with  gay-colored  gon- 
dolas ;  and  in  the  colossal  proportions  of  superb  dec- 
orative statues,  so  that  a  glimpse  of  Venice  can  be 
caught  between  the  forelegs  of  a  huge  sculptured 
bull,  and  the  columns  of  a  classic  temple  be  outlined 
over  the  back  of  some  water-sprayed  mermaid. 

It  is  easy  while  under  the  spell  of  this  Ancient 
City  to  persuade  myself  that  in  this  their  festival 
year,  these  nobles  who  dwell  here  are  holding  high 
carnival,  with  much  feasting  and  merry-making,  and 
illuminations  at  night.  That  they  have  bidden  all 
the  nations  of  the  earth  to  join  them  in  these  gra- 
cious festivities  lasting  many  months ;  and  that  as 
an  especial  honor,  and  for  the  delight  and  entertain- 
ment of  these  distinguished  guests,  they  have  de- 
creed that  a  great  fair  shall  be  held  where  may  be 
seen  many  strange  people  from  the  uttermost  parts 
of  the  earth,  who,  with  barbaric  dancing  and  weird 
music  may  depict  the  manners  and  customs  of  their 
climes.     That  this  Fair  of  the  Festival  Year  shall  be 


110  SOME  ARTISTS  AT  THE  FAIR 

placed,  not  within  the  lines  of  the  Palaces  but  out- 
side the  walls  of  the  Great  City,  at  the  end  of  a 
broad  highway,  rolled  out  like  a  huge  carpet  of  many 
colors. 

Rousing  myself  from  these  reveries,  I  bid  Espero 
good-by,  join  the  throng,  follow  through  the  gates 
and  so  out  upon  this  broad  highway,  the  Plaisance. 
My  dreams  are  all  true.  Along  the  crowded 
thoroughfare  move  half  the  wild  tribes  of  the  earth 
— Javanese,  Esquimaux,  natives  of  the  Soudan, 
Bedouins  from  beyond  the  Great  Desert,  Algerians, 
Arabs,  Greeks,  Armenians,  Syrians,  and  Turks. 
Fringing  each  edge  of  this  gay  promenade  I  find 
the  huts  of  the  Javanese  and  Soudanese,  the  tents 
of  the  Bedouins  and  Arabs,  and  the  more  preten- 
tious booths  and  structures  of  the  Algerians  and 
kindred  people.  Here,  too,  are  the  quaint  gateways 
and  open  squares  of  old  German  and  Austrian 
towns ;  the  low-roofed,  deftly  constructed  houses  of 
the  Japanese ;  the  intricate  carvings  of  India  cover- 
ing the  booths,  and,  draping  the  doors  of  the  East- 
ern bazaars  the  rich  stuffs,  rugs,  and  tapestries  of  the 
Orient. 

Near  the  entrance  to  the  Turkish  village,  tucked 
away  on  one  side  of  the  highway,  just  out  of  the 
rush  of  the  never-ceasing  throng,  and  yet  close 
enouf^h  to  be  within  call,  rises  the  dome  of  a  small 


THE   PICTURESQUE   SIDE 


111 


Mosque.     Above  this  a  single,  snow-white  minaret 
shoots  up  into  the  blue. 


MOSQUE    OF    THE    SULTAN    SKLIM. 


When  the  sun  is  gone  there  leans  from  a  tiny 
balcony  high  up  on  this  needle  of  a  minaret,  a  white- 
robed  priest.     Suddenly  above  the  whirl  and  hurry 


112  SOME   ARTISTS  AT  THE   FAIR 

there  filters  down  through  the  soft  twilight  air  the 
Muezzin's  call  for  prayer  : 

"La  Ilah  Ell-Allah  Muhammed  Rassoul  Ell- 
Allah." 

To  me  there  is  nothing  so  simple,  nothing  so  im- 
pressive, nothing  so  devout,  as  a  Muhammedan 
standing  in  the  presence  of  his  God.  There  is  a 
childlike  faith,  a  manly  trust,  a  sincere  belief 
evinced  and  experienced  by  these  believers,  that 
never  seems  to  predominate  in  any  other  form  of 
religion. 

How  often,  in  a  great  cathedral,  do  you  come 
upon  a  figure  silently  leaving  the  confessional,  and 
catching  a  full  view  of  the  face,  detect  a  lingering 
trace  of  sorrow,  or  anxiety,  or  doubt.  But  watch  the 
faces  of  these  Muhammedans,  these  poor  sedan-chair 
carriers,  and  of  that  broad-shouldered  Arab,  who  has 
been  moving  great  boxes  of  unpacked  goods  on  his 
back  all  day.  How  tired  they  all  look  as  they  enter 
the  Mosque,  bowing  low  with  reverent  awe,  and 
prostrating  themselves  wearily  to  the  pavement.  It 
is  as  if  each  penitent  had  brought  his  very  burden 
within  these  sacred  precincts,  supplicating  for  relief. 

Now  look,  when  the  silent  service  is  over,  and 
study  these  same  faces  as,  with  a  light-hearted 
spring,  each  man  rises  from  his  knees  and  with 
serene  expression,  and  calm,  restful  eyes  takes  up 
once  more  the  burden  of  his  life. 


THE  PICTURESQUE   SIDE  113 

This  exquisite  and  picturesque  little  Mosque — 
it  is  the  prototype  of  the  purest  bit  of  Eastern  archi- 
tecture in  Stamboul — these  thoroughly  genuine  peo- 
ple, this  sacred  service — not  as  a  necessary  part  of 
the  Oriental  exhibit,  but  as  an  essential,  indispen- 
sable part  of  the  life  of  the  natives  themselves — this 
combination  of  the  genuine  and  the  picturesque  is 
to  me  the  true  keynote  of  the  Great  Exposition. 

11. 

My  old  and  valued  friend.  Far-away  Moses  : — 
What  a  superb  old  Shylock  he  is ;  not  in  the  sense 
of  "  three  thousand  ducats  and  for  three  months," 
but  in  the  unique  quality  of  the  character  itself! 
Neither  Irvino-  nor  Booth  ever  conceived  so  fine  and 
fitting  a  costume  as  this  old  man  wears  every  day  in 
and  out  of  his  bazaar,  and  along  the  streets  of  his 
transplanted  village ;  a  costume  of  soft  material, 
with  an  under-vest  delicately  embroidered,  the  over- 
jacket  a  coat  of  brown  camel's-hair  with  dark  red 
voluminous  waist-sash  and  the  wide  Eastern  skirts 
covering  his  still  sturdy  legs. 

My  old  and  valued  friend,  Far-away  Moses,  I 
say,  invited  me  to  dinner.  I  have  enjoyed  this  es- 
pecial privilege  very  often  in  his  own  bazaar  in 
Stamboul,  and  the  aroma  of  the  Mocha  and  the 
soothing  qualities  of  his  Narghilehs  have   haunted 


114 


SOME  ARTISTS  AT  THE   FAIR 


me  ever  since.  Now^  thanks  to  his  courtesy,  I  can 
enjoy  them  every  day.  There  is  nothing  missing  in 
the  surroundings  of  his  own    bazaar    here  on  the 


"  FAR-AWAY    MOSES. 


Plaisance.  The  walls  are  hung  with  the  wealth  of 
the  East.  Divans  are  scattered  about.  On  a  low 
table,  octagon-shaped  and  inlaid  with  mother-of- 
pearl  and  ivory,  lie  yataghans  and  Turkish  arms, 
embossed  with  silver  and  enriched  with  quaint  de- 


sign. 


The   light    struggles   in    through    the  small 


THE  PICTURESQUE   SIDE  115 

windows  and  half  defines  the  odd  interior,  quite  as 
it  does  in  his  shop  along  the  Bosphorus.  I  throw 
myself  upon  a  pile  of  Eastern  rugs  and  begin  ad- 
justing the  pillows  in  true  Oriental  fashion. 

The  old  man  claps  his  hands,  and  instantly,  as  if 
rising  through  the  rug  itself,  an  attendant  appears, 
receives  an  order  in  Turkish,  and  vanishes.  Not  a 
gentleman,  if  you  please,  in  a  soiled  necktie,  frayed 
shirt-front,  and  hired  -  by  -  the  -  month  swallow  -  tail 
coat,  but  a  swarthy  Turk  in  gold  -  embroidered 
vest  and  the  rest  of  it,  who  reappears  in  a  flash 
with  one  of  those  exquisite  squatty  little  tables  that 
might  serve  in  a  baby  house.  Then  more  clapping 
of  hands,  and  more  Turks,  one  a  gorgeous  fellow  in 
a  solid  gold  jacket  (the  light  is  dim),  undervest  of 
purple  and  silver,  sash  brilliant  scarlet,  and  so  on, 
down  to  his  magnificent  slippers  of  red  morocco, 
very  much  turned  up  at  the  toes.  And  then  an  in- 
laid tray  with  two  dainty  little  cups,  mere  thimbles, 
into  which  is  poured  from  a  long-handled  brass  pot, 
sizzling  hot  over  a  charcoal  fire,  two  mouthfuls  of 
fragrant  Mocha.  Then  the  Narghilehs,  with  their 
long  flexible  tubes,  amber  mouth-pieces,  and  the  bits 
of  burning  coal,  keeping  alight  the  little  heap  of 
Turkish  tobacco  on  the  top  of  the  slender  caraffe- 
shaped  glass. 

We  talk  of  the  old  days  in  Stamboul  and  of  the 
morning  we  spent  at  the   Bath,  where   I  was   par- 


116 


SOME  ARTISTS  AT  THE  FAIR 


DOORWAY    OF    THE    TRANSPORTATIOX    BUILniXG. 


boiled  and  rubbed  full  of  holes  by  two  insufficiently 
clad  Greeks  ;  and  then  of  the  festival   night  at  Saint 

Sophia  when,  as 
a  member  of  his 
household,  I  en- 
tered the  Sacred 
Mosque  bare- 
footed and  be- 
fezzed.  Later 
on  a  liohted  Ian- 
tern  is  brouoht 

o 

in,  and  we  fol- 
low another 
gorgeous  slave 
into  the  mysteries  of  my  host's  private  apartments 
where  a  repast  of  kebabs  and  boiled  rice  is  served. 

After  dinner  other  lights  are  fixed  against  the 
walls  of  an  outer  court,  and  a  dozen  or  more  of  his 
retinue — Far-away  and  his  confrere,  Roberto  Levy, 
count  five  hundred  and  fifty  followers — with  weird 
song  and  gesture,  throw  themselves  with  perfect 
abandon  into  one  of  their  wild  native  dances. 

This  small  army  of  the  Faithful  eat,  sleep,  and 
dress  precisely  as  they  do  at  home.  The  Bedouin 
women  huddle  in  the  dust  outside  their  tents,  bak- 
ing their  wafer-like  bread  over  rounded  pans  cover- 
ing heaps  of  live  coals ;  the  men  smoke  and  lounge 
on  the  mats ;  the  dancino--o-ii-ls  from  Damascus  and 


THE  PICTURESQUE   SIDE  117 

Syria,  in  the  intervals  of  their  stage  work,  shut 
themselves  up  in  their  curtain-closed  rooms,  at- 
tended only  by  their  women. 

They  allow  no  difference  in  their  surroundings 
or  atmosphere;  there  is  no  hurry  nor  rush  nor 
noise  ;  only  the  indolent,  lazy  life  of  the  East  Had 
the  genie  of  the  lamp  been  summoned  from  space  to 
work  these  marvellous  effects  it  could  not  have  been 
better  done. 

But  the  picturesque  does  not  end  with  the  Turk- 
ish village,  its  mosques,  bazaars,  cafe,  theatre,  and 
attendants.  Enter  the  gates  leading  to  the  little  toy 
houses  of  the  Javanese,  and  stop  for  a  moment  at 
one  of  the  doors.  Half  a  dozen  of  the  dancing-girls 
are  cuddled  too-ether  in  the  middle  of  the  floor. 
There  is  no  light  except  through  the  open  door. 
Some  are  smoking  cigarettes.  One  is  painting  the 
eyebrows  of  a  comrade,  who  in  turn  is  combing  the 
other's  hair.  Two  are  stretched  out  on  either  side 
of  the  entrance  lolling  lazily.  They  smile  cour- 
teously, and  when  one  rises  and  trips  away  to  the 
next  miniature  house,  she  drops  you  a  slight  defer- 
ential courtesy  as  she  passes — not  to  attract  your  at- 
tention, but  as  challenging  permission — to  cross  in 
front  of  you. 

If  you,  an  admirer  of  Western  civilization,  offer 
some  one  of  its  subjects  a  piece  of  silver,  you  receive 
either  the  customary  gruff  thanks  or  the  incredulous 


118  SOME   ARTISTS  AT  THE   FAIR 

stare.  If  you  have  doubts  about  the  courtesy,  the 
refinement,  and  the  charm  of  the  semi-barbarous 
East,  try  the  same  experiment  on  one  of  these  little 
Javanese  maidens,  fully  of  age  and  yet  hardly  as  tall 
as  the  curly  haired  daughter  that  you  hold  in  your 
arms.  When  you  tender  her  the  coin  she  walks  to 
where  you  stand  without  the  slightest  trace  of  either 
forwardness  or  timidity,  drops  on  one  knee — clasp- 
ing the  money  in  her  right  hand — crosses  both  arms 
over  her  bosom,  places  the  piece  on  her  head,  and 
then  bowing  low,  her  face  toward  you,  retraces  her 
steps  into  the  bungalow.  With  each  gesture  she  in- 
tends some  graceful  service — she  is  your  slave — her 
heart  is  always  true,  her  head  in  subjection.  It  is 
only  her  way  of  saying  thank  you — this  poor  little 
half-clad,  half-civilized,  Javanese  maid  ;  but  it  is  so 
gracefully,  so  charmingly  done,  it  is  so  na'ive  and  sin- 
cere, that  if  you  leave  the  door  of  her  hut  with  a  cent 
in  your  pocket  you  should  be  sentenced  to  spend 
a  month  in  her  villao^e  to  learn  better  manners. 

As  you  are  still  in  search  of  the  picturesque,  fol- 
low that  barefooted  Arab  with  fez  and  long  yellow 
gown,  who  has  just  saluted  with  such  respect  and 
humility  Roberto  Levy  (chief  commissioner  of  all 
these  Muhammedan  people),  touching  his  heart  and 
lips  and  forehead  after  the  manner  of  his  race.  He 
has  some  complaint  to  make  or  grievance  to  right. 
You  note  that  the  man  enters  a  gate  farther  down 


Ski  '' 


IN    CAIRO    STREET 


THE  PICTURESQUE   SIDE  121 

on  the  Plaisance,  above  which  you  catch  the  min- 
aret of  another  mosque,  overlooking  *'A  Street  in 
Cairo."  Later  on  you  discover  that  this  barefooted 
Arab  drives  a  camel  along  this  tortuous  thorough- 
fare. 

Here  again  the  quality  of  the  picturesque  is  in- 
separably joined  to  the  quality  of  the  genuine.  The 
street  itself  is  a  fair  reproduction  of  the  original,  with 
its  overhanging  latticed  windows,  iron  gratings  and 
decorations ;  but  the  motley  crowd  that  throngs 
throuo;h  its  crookedness  is  the  native  element  itself. 
Camels  with  the  dust  of  the  desert  ground  into  their 
scarred  hides,  every  knot  in  the  harness  a  guarantee 
of  long  service  ;  donkeys  and  donkey  boys  ;  women 
closely  veiled  or  w^earing  the  btirgi — a  wooden  spool 
bound  over  the  nose,  with  a  heavy  fringe  of  black 
thread  falling  below  the  chin ;  rows  of  idlers  in  dirty 
garments  sprawled  along  the  edges  of  the  houses 
hugging  the  shade ;  Nubians,  black  as  ink,  in  white 
burnoose  and  long  gowns  ;  pedlers,  street  venders 
in  odd  Eastern  costumes,  and  scattered  throughout 
the  curious  throng  the  man  from  Maine  and  the  gen- 
tleman from  Texas. 

Everywhere  you  find  the  same  element  of  the 
picturesque,  everywhere  is  evident  the  same  quality 
of  the  genuine.  To  accomplish  these  results  space 
and  time  seem  to  have  been  annihilated. 

"  It  is  I  who  went  up  into  the  Soudan  country 


122  SOME  ARTISTS  AT  THE  FAIR 

and  brought  out  this  family,  come  in  and  see,"  says 
a  dark,  black-bearded  man,  who  might  have  the 
blood  of  all  the  races  of  the  East  in  his  veins. 

I  thrust  my  head  and  shoulder  through  a  narrow 
slit  in  the  hut,  shaped  like  an  inverted  teacup,  and 
am  confronted  by  a  girl  wearing  a  single  garment  of 
coarse  cotton  cloth,  such  as  would  cover  a  sack  of 
salt.  Behind  her,  squatting  on  the  earth-floor,  sit 
her  husband  and  father,  beating  rude  drums  covered 
with  skins.  The  girl  instantly  advances,  lifts  up  her 
face  and  gazing  into  mine  with  half- closed  eyes, 
gives  herself  up  with  slow  movement  of  her  feet  to 
that  peculiar  spell  which  seems  to  possess  all  East- 
ern women  when  under  the  influence  of  the  dance. 
The  inmates  are  all  uncleanly,  unkempt,  and,  but 
for  the  earnest  face  and  fawn-like  eyes  of  the  Sou- 
danese girl-wife,  forbidding  and  repulsive.  Of  one 
thing,  however,  you  are  sure :  had  you  wandered 
into  the  heart  of  their  country  and  entered  any  one 
of  their  huts,  you  would  have  found  the  exact  coun- 
terpart of  what  is  before  you  now. 

So  with  the  Algerians  and  Nubians,  the  Chinese 
and  natives  of  Ceylon,  Dahomey  and  the  South  Sea 
Islands,  the  Esquimaux  even  down  to  the  glass- 
blowers  from  Murano :  they  are  not  a  part  of  a  show 
— they  are  the  people  themselves.  How  long  this 
unconscious  individuality  will  continue  and  what 
degrading  effects   our   civilization  will  produce  on 


THE   PICTURESQUE   SIDE  123 

these  strangers   is  a  question  which   cannot  be  set- 
tled until  the  Fair  is  over. 

It  is  safe  to  say  that  never  in  the  Hves  of  the 
present  generation  w^ill  these  things  be  repeated. 
Before  the  summer  comes  again  the  beautiful  city 
will  fade  away  like  the  frost-work  of  an  early  morn- 
ing. This  broad  highway,  teeming  with  life  and 
color,  will  be  but  a  neglected  waste,  while  the  lovely 
lagoons  will  once  more  yield  themselves  up  to  the 
ever-encroaching  lake.  Every  square  foot  of  the 
wide  inclosure  should  be  sacred  to  every  American, 
as  marking  for  them  and  for  the  intelligent  world 
a  point  in  civilization  never  before  reached  by  any 
people ;  as  marking  the  dawn  of  a  new  era  in  the 
progress  of  the  Republic ;  a  new  light  in  architect- 
ure, in  mural  decoration  and  sculpture ;  in  the  weav- 
ing of  exquisite  stuffs,  in  the  glazing  of  porcelains, 
the  making  of  glass  and  perfecting  of  all  the  lesser 
arts  that  serve  to  beautify  our  homes  and  gladden 
our  lives  ;  and  in  the  proving,  by  comparison  with 
the  best  work  of  the  other  nations  of  earth,  the  high 
standard  reached  by  our  own  artists,  and  the  fixing 
forever  of  that  position  in  the  art  of  the  world. 


'\    L,' 


i^^  «^^^^sr  ;^i*r7 


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UNIVERSITY  HEIGHTS 
CHESTNUT  HILL,  MASS. 


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